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Literal meaning

Concept
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

The primary, dictionary definition of a word, distinct from figurative or metaphorical senses

Detailed Definition
Literal meaning: The denotative, non-figurative sense of words—what they signify without metaphorical extension or symbolic interpretation. Literal meaning provides baseline signification against which figurative meanings are measured. In poetry, invoking literal meaning may create contrast with figurative language or serve as a stylistic choice emphasizing directness.
Example
Example in poetry:
Denotative, dictionary sense of words; Explicit meaning before figurative extension; Surface-level signification; Direct semantic content without metaphor
Additional Notes
The basic, dictionary-level meaning of words without metaphorical extension. Starting point for analyzing how poetry transforms literal into figurative language.
Also Known As
Denotative meaning Dictionary sense Explicit signification Literal content Denotation Direct signification Surface signification
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