Home › Glossary › Letter L

lullaby phrase

Phrase
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

Language mimicking soothing, repetitive songs used to calm children

Detailed Definition
Lullaby phrases employ gentle rhythm, soft consonants, and protective imagery; they evoke tenderness, safety, and cyclical comfort, often repurposed in poetry to soothe adult anxieties or mourn lost innocence.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hush now, my darling, the stars are asleep; the moon is a cradle, the night is a keep; sleep, little one, the world holds its breath; the lullaby phrase is the first poem ever given.
Additional Notes
Lullaby phrases mimic soothing repetition: “Hush now, my darling, the stars are asleep”; they create intimacy, comfort, or eerie calm; use soft consonants, rocking rhythm, and simple syntax; avoid saccharine tone—infuse with subtle dread or loss; related to formulaic refrain and ballad phrase; effective in poems of childhood, grief, or quiet mourning.
Also Known As
lullaby line soothing phrase sleep phrase
Skip to main content