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metrical accent

Sound
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 stressed syllable within a metrical foot that creates rhythmic emphasis, forming the backbone of accentual-syllabic prosody.

Detailed Definition
Metrical accent refers to the natural stress or emphasis placed on certain syllables within a poetic line according to the prevailing meter, distinguishing it from rhetorical or grammatical stress; skilled poets align metrical and linguistic accents for rhythmic harmony or tension.
Example
Example in poetry:
In the iambic foot be-LOW, the second syllable has the metrical accent; In the trochaic foot 'TIGER' (’TI-ger’), the first syllable has the metrical accent; The metrical accent falls on the first syllable of the dactylic foot, as in 'PO-e-try'; The third syllable receives the metrical accent in the anapestic foot, as in un-der-STAND.
Additional Notes
The regular emphasis given to certain syllables in a line of verse, which establishes the meter and rhythm; distinct from natural stress but often aligned with it.
Also Known As
Stress accent rhythmic accent metrical stress Beat rhythmic emphasis Stress mark rhythmic stress
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