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Ionic tetrameter

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 four-foot line composed of ionic feet, producing wave-like, lilting rhythm

Detailed Definition
Ionic tetrameter consists of four Ionic feet per line, creating a sixteen-syllable rhythm with paired light and heavy stresses; though uncommon in English poetry, it appears in scholarly or neoclassical works attempting to replicate the fluid, dance-like quality of ancient Greek choral meters.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ionic tetrameter: Four Ionic feet per line: “In the garden where the roses bloom beneath the summer sun” — each foot follows the ˘ ˘ ¯ ¯ pattern.
Additional Notes
Four Ionic feet per line. More manageable than longer Ionic lines. Creates rolling, wavelike rhythm. Rare in English but interesting for experimental verse. Compare with tetrameter in more common meters.
Also Known As
Greek standard meter Ionic four-foot Classical tetrameter Double-short four-foot Sotadean verse
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