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Hypermeter

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

A metrical organisation where groups of feet are treated as larger, repeated units (metra) above the line-level metre.

Detailed Definition
Hypermeter treats a line of verse as composed of metrical units (e.g., iambic pentameter as five iambs) and examines patterns and variations at that higher grouping, giving rhythmical shape across lines or stanzas.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hypermeter: “An extra unstressed syllable trailing: ‘the wind blows softly now’” (iambic pentameter +1); “Sixth foot in dactylic hexameter” (classical); “‘And the sea, oh the sea’—that final ‘oh’” (example); “Used for emphasis or breath” (instructional)
Additional Notes
Line exceeding normal metrical length by one or more feet. Opposite of truncation; creates overflowing effect. Study with enjambment for pacing.
Also Known As
overline metre metrical hyperstructure
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