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Ionic a maiore

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 classical metrical foot with the pattern long-long-short-short (— — ∪ ∪), used in Greek and Latin poetry

Detailed Definition
Ionic a maiore is a classical metrical foot of four syllables arranged as long-long-short-short (— — ∪ ∪), identical to the Greater Ionic; it appears in Aeolic and choral lyric poetry, producing a dignified, processional rhythm suited to ceremonial or elevated thematic contexts in ancient verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
The classical foot “— — ∪ ∪” as in the opening of some Pindaric odes; Latin lines scanned as Ionic a maiore in Horatian hymns; reconstructed Greek choral passages using this pattern; scholarly transcriptions of Sappho using Ionic a maiore for certain stanzas
Additional Notes
Ionic a maiore: A metrical foot of two long followed by two short syllables (— — ∪ ∪), the “greater” Ionic; contrast with Ionic a minore (∪ ∪ — —); used in classical lyric and dramatic verse.
Also Known As
Greater Ionic foot Long-long-short-short Majuscule Ionic Major Ionic
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