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Heterolect

Concept
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

Use of multiple registers or dialects within a single poem to create social, regional or character contrast.

Detailed Definition
Heterolect refers to a distinct linguistic variety or register within a speech community—such as dialect, sociolect, or idiolect—and in poetry, its deliberate use challenges standard language norms to assert cultural identity, regional authenticity, or subaltern voice; poets like Burns (Scots), Hughes (African American Vernacular English), or Heaney (Ulster dialect) employ heterolect not as ornament but as epistemological stance, where language embodies worldview and resistance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Heterolect: Code-switching: “She said ‘¿Qué onda?’ then ‘Let’s go’” (bilingual); “Y’all ain’t seen nothin’ like this poem” (dialect); “Using AAVE syntax in formal sonnet” (contemporary); “Mixing Scots and Standard English” (MacDiarmid-style)
Additional Notes
Language variety or dialect. Linguistic term—individual's or group's speech pattern. Related: idiolect, sociolect, dialect. Study: how heterolects appear in poetry.
Also Known As
register-shifting multi-register usage
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