Home › Glossary › Letter I

incomplete Sapphic

Meter
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 Sapphic stanza that omits or truncates one or more lines, retaining the essence of the classical form while adapting its structure.

Detailed Definition
An incomplete Sapphic refers to a stanza or line that imitates the traditional Sapphic meter—typically three lines of eleven syllables followed by a five-syllable Adonic line—but omits or alters one or more components, often the final Adonic line, resulting in a truncated form that retains the lyrical essence while adapting the classical structure for modern or experimental purposes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Surviving scraps of Sapphic verse with missing last foot; “Immortal Aphro—” (cut off Sapphic ending); Incomplete lyric in Sappho’s fragments; Partial Greek ode line with broken Sapphic meter
Additional Notes
A variation of the Sapphic stanza that is missing its final syllable or part of its final foot; a metrical alteration that gives the line a truncated, abrupt, or emphasized ending.
Also Known As
incomplete Sapphic line fragmentary Sapphic broken Sapphic verse Catalectic Sapphic
Skip to main content