Home › Glossary › Letter J

jump-cut volta

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 volta (turn) that occurs with the suddenness and disjunction of a film jump-cut, jolting the reader into a new perspective.

Detailed Definition
A jump-cut volta is a sudden, jarring turn in a poem that abandons logical progression for an unexpected image, tone, or perspective shift, bypassing traditional transition; this modern reinterpretation of the sonnet’s turn reflects contemporary consciousness and media-influenced cognition.
Example
Example in poetry:
A sudden, sharp, and often disorienting turn in the subject or argument of a sonnet, occurring not at the traditional ninth or thirteenth line, but mid-line or at a surprising, unexpected point (e.g., line 6 or 11); A sonnet's volta that pivots from a reflection on nature to an unrelated political commentary, e.g., "The mountain stood firm, a symbol of time... / But the local council is raising the rates."
Additional Notes
jump-cut volta: A sudden, un-signaled, or jarring thematic or tonal shift in a poem (the volta), disrupting the expected flow or argument; borrows the term from film editing; often used for shocking revelation or emotional instability.
Also Known As
volta splice cinematic volta montage turn
Skip to main content