Home › Glossary › Letter L

Lisa

Literary Character
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 given name; in a poetic context, it humanizes the speaker's narrative, creating an intimate, personal relationship that grounds the verse in domestic reality.

Detailed Definition
Lisa is a proper name, and in this poem it identifies the speaker’s “little sister.” Readers may not know whether the name refers to a real person, a character, or simply a family member without context.
Example
Example in poetry:
my little sister went,And I am lonely. The world is great: I tried to mount the hillAbove the pines, where the light lies so still,But it rose higher: little Lisa went
Additional Notes
“Lisa” appears as a proper name in the poem, and readers may need to identify who she is in the speaker’s family.; Found in the poem, I Am Lonely by George Eliot
Also Known As
Elizabeth Liza Lisette Elise
Skip to main content