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Isotope

Science
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 form of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Detailed Definition
An isotope can help a poem consider sameness complicated by difference. Chemically, isotopes belong to the same element, yet their altered mass can make them stable, radioactive, or traceable across time. Poets may use the term for family resemblance, altered inheritance, or identities that share a name but not an experience. Carbon isotopes, for example, can evoke ancient remains and the scientific reading of time from matter itself.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The isotope in the bone tells its history of food and place” shows how scientific evidence can deepen an archaeological poem; A poet might call twins “isotopes of one bright element,” emphasizing kinship with subtle difference; “Carbon isotopes keep counting after the fire is gone” can evoke radiocarbon dating and the persistence of time; In an elegy, “Your isotope remains in the river’s mineral grammar” uses the term to suggest matter continuing after death
Additional Notes
Isotopes are versions of one element; some are stable, while radioactive isotopes decay and can be used for dating.
Also Known As
Nuclide
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