Home › Glossary › Letter K

Key change

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 sudden or deliberate shift in mood, tone, or perspective analogous to a musical modulation

Detailed Definition
Key change in poetry denotes a sudden shift in tone, diction, rhythm, or perspective that reorients the reader’s understanding, analogous to a modulation in music; this technique often marks a volta or thematic pivot, transforming the poem’s emotional or intellectual trajectory mid-course.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem beginning with cheerful nature imagery that shifts to wartime trauma in stanza three; “Sunshine on daisies… / —then the bomb fell”; A love poem that turns into a eulogy after the volta; Joyful wedding description followed by “But the ring was cold”
Additional Notes
Key change signals a shift in tone, perspective, or emotional register mid-poem—akin to modulation in music; often precedes a volta or thematic pivot.
Also Known As
modulatory shift harmonic turn tonal pivot melodic transition Modal shift tonal change
Skip to main content