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Fourteener

Meter
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

An iambic heptameter line of fourteen syllables, common in ballads and early English verse

Detailed Definition
A Fourteener is a poetic line of fourteen syllables, traditionally arranged as seven iambic feet (iambic heptameter), historically used in 16th- and 17th-century English narrative and devotional verse; its length allows for expansive expression but often leads to monotony, prompting later poets to favor shorter, more dynamic meters like pentameter.
Example
Example in poetry:
George Chapman’s translation of Homer uses fourteener (iambic heptameter); “The Ballad of Chevy Chase” employs fourteeners for narrative drive; Longfellow’s “Evangeline” adapts dactylic hexameter but uses fourteeners in drafts; Fourteeners appear in 16th-century psalters (e.g., Sternhold & Hopkins); Contemporary poet Annie Finch uses fourteeners for incantatory effect.
Additional Notes
Fourteener is a rhyming iambic heptameter couplet, common in 16th–17th c. English verse. Contrast with heroic couplet (pentameter). Can feel stately or ponderous—later poets often parodied it; useful for studying historical shifts in metrical taste.
Also Known As
Fourteener line Fourteen-syllable verse Alexandrine precursor Ballad epic line Iambic heptameter
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