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Hypodactylic tetrameter

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 four-foot line beginning with a short syllable before dactylic feet; it opens with a light, quick syllable and then shifts to the triple rhythm of dactyls, producing a brisk, energetic effect.

Detailed Definition
Hypodactylic tetrameter is a four-foot line of hypodactyls ( / u u u ), totaling sixteen syllables, producing a languid, wave-like rhythm; this experimental meter appears in avant-garde poetry that seeks to stretch dactylic traditions into expansive, meditative forms emphasizing sonic texture over strict metrical regularity.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hypodactylic tetrameter: Four hypodactylic feet per line: “In the meadow soft and green the children laughed and ran” — each foot follows the ˘ ˘ ˘ ¯ pattern.
Additional Notes
Dactylic tetrameter with iambic substitution. Four mixed feet. Related: tetrameter, substitution. Study: how iambs slow dactylic momentum.
Also Known As
Shortened dactylic tetrameter Reduced four-foot dactylic Deficient tetrameter Under-extended four-foot
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