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Lyric direct address

Device
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 technique in which the speaker of a lyric poem speaks directly to an absent person, abstract idea, or inanimate object

Detailed Definition
Lyric direct address is a rhetorical strategy where the poetic speaker explicitly speaks to a named or implied listener (“O night!” or “You, my love”), creating immediacy and emotional intimacy; this apostrophic mode animates the addressee as a presence within the poem’s imaginative space.
Example
Example in poetry:
“O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being!” (Shelley addressing the wind); “Muse, tell me of the man of many ways” (Homer invoking the Muse); “Death, be not proud” (Donne speaking to Death); “O Captain! My Captain!” (Whitman addressing Lincoln)
Additional Notes
Lyric direct address: A technique where the speaker addresses a person, object, or abstract entity directly (often using “O”); closely related to poetic invocation (10085) and song apostrophe (10086).
Also Known As
Apostrophic invocation Personal entreaty Ode-like address Vocative lyric Lyric apostrophe
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