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Identical-word play

Device
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

Playing on the repetition of identical words used in varied senses.

Detailed Definition
Identical-word play exploits the repetition of the exact same word in different grammatical or contextual roles within a line or stanza—such as “time” as noun and verb—to generate puns, paradoxes, or layered meanings; this technique highlights language’s ambiguity and plasticity, turning semantic slippage into a source of wit or philosophical insight.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Time after time, time after time he speaks”; “Love is love is love” (repeating identical word for effect); “The rose is a rose is a rose” (Gertrude Stein); “War is war, cruel war”
Additional Notes
A technique where the exact same word or phrase is repeated in a line or stanza, but its meaning or context changes slightly; creates subtle shifts in meaning, emphasis, or irony; distinct from simple repetition.
Also Known As
repeated wordplay identical term play echo-word device Antanaclasis
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