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meaningless rhyme

Rhyme
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 rhyme used without semantic weight, often only for sound effect

Detailed Definition
Meaningless rhyme pairs words that sound alike but share no conceptual connection, creating disjunction between sonic harmony and semantic coherence; this technique can produce absurdity, irony, or dreamlike illogic, as in Lewis Carroll’s nonsense verse or postmodern lyrical play.
Example
Example in poetry:
meaningless rhyme (Rhyme that connects words based on sound but whose combination creates a nonsensical or absurd pairing); Rhyming "purple" with "curple" (a coined or obscure word) to achieve a strange effect; Rhyming "truth" with "stooth" (a meaningless word)
Additional Notes
Rhyme between words that have no logical, conceptual, or semantic relationship; used for phonetic pleasure, surprise, or to emphasize the dissolution of meaning; contrasts with meaning rhyme.
Also Known As
Empty rhyme nonsense rhyme semantic void rhyme
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