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Ionic dimeter catalectic

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 two-foot ionic line missing its final syllable (typically short-short-long-long pattern)

Detailed Definition
Ionic dimeter catalectic is a metrical line comprising two ionic feet with the final syllable omitted, yielding a truncated but rhythmically driving pattern (e.g., u u – – | u u –); it appears in ancient lyric poetry to create urgency or syncopation within strophic structures.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hipponax’s satirical fragments use Ionic dimeter catalectic for biting brevity; Sappho’s shorter fragments employ catalectic Ionic dimeter for emotional urgency; Contemporary poet Anne Carson uses catalectic Ionic dimeter in “Short Talks” for aphoristic effect; Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” echoes catalectic Ionic dimeter in two-line form; Greek comedy uses catalectic Ionic dimeter for humorous interruption; Robert Herrick’s “Corinna’s Going A-Maying” uses catalectic Ionic dimeter for rustic rhythm.
Additional Notes
Ionic dimeter with final syllable(s) dropped. Catalexis truncates the line, creating closure or asymmetry. The shortened ending provides rhythmic variation. Compare with acatalectic (complete) versions.
Also Known As
truncated ionic short ionic pair
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