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Ionic minor

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 metrical foot consisting of two short syllables followed by two long ones (u u – –)

Detailed Definition
Ionic minor is a classical metrical foot consisting of two short (unstressed) syllables followed by two long (stressed) ones (u u / /), used in Greek and Latin lyric poetry; in English, it appears rarely, adapted to convey stately, processional, or ceremonial rhythm.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ionic minor meter (unstressed-unstressed-stressed-stressed) appears rarely in English but can be approximated in Swinburne’s “Sapphics”; In classical Greek poetry, Ionic minor appears in Sappho’s fragments with rhythmic waves; In modern experimental verse, Ionic minor may surface in Hopkins’ sprung rhythm approximations; Though uncommon, Ionic minor can be heard in nursery rhymes like “Hickory dickory dock” with its rolling cadence
Additional Notes
Ionic minor is a metrical foot with two unstressed followed by two stressed syllables (uu––); rare in English but used for solemn or processional effects in experimental verse.
Also Known As
Minor Ionic foot Diminished Ionic Light Ionic measure Diiamb short ionic pair
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