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Final word sound

Sound
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The acoustic quality of the concluding word in a line or phrase.

Detailed Definition
The sonic quality, phonetic character, or acoustic effect of line-ending words, whether participating in rhyme schemes or not. Even without conventional rhyme, final word sounds contribute significantly to poem's music through assonance, consonance, alliteration, or simply the weight and resonance of particular phonemes. W.H. Auden demonstrated masterful control of final word sounds creating subtle connections without obvious rhyme. Poets must consider not just meaning but acoustic properties when choosing line-ending words, as these sounds linger in readers' ears disproportionately.
Example
Example in poetry:
The sonic quality of final words creating echo; Rhyme at line endings; Assonance or consonance in terminal positions; The sound correspondence of concluding words
Additional Notes
The sonic quality of line-ending words, whether rhymed or not. Even without rhyme, final word sounds contribute to poem's music. Assonance, consonance, or alliteration in final positions creates subtle connections. W.H. Auden was masterful with final word sounds. Can create unity without obvious rhyme.
Also Known As
terminal sonic quality end-word resonance final phonetic character closing sound Epistrophic Rhyme
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