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Lantern

Architecture
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 small glazed structure atop a roof or dome that admits light. In poetry, it is a luminous elevated detail that clarifies the work below.

Detailed Definition
An architectural lantern is a small windowed structure placed atop a dome, roof, or tower to bring daylight into the space beneath it. In poetry, it can describe a final image, recurring word, or high register of language that sends illumination down through a darker composition. A lantern need not explain everything; its light may be partial and atmospheric. The term suits moments of lucid elevation, where insight enters from above without dissolving the poem's shadows.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The lantern above the dome admitted a pale dawn” uses lantern for a small roof structure that brings light into a building; A poet might write “the courthouse lantern burned over sleeping streets” to make a roof lantern seem watchful; “Rain ticked on the lantern’s glass” focuses on the glazed upper structure of a roof; “Through the lantern, heaven entered the rotunda” uses architectural light as a spiritual image
Additional Notes
A lantern is a small high source of illumination. In a poem, one vivid detail, title, or concluding phrase may function as a lantern by casting interpretive light over surrounding material.
Other Meanings of “Lantern”
Also Known As
Roof Lantern Lantern Tower Cupola Lamp
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