Home › Glossary › Letter M

mimetic beat

Sound
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

A rhythmic pattern that imitates or enacts the subject matter of the poem

Detailed Definition
Mimetic beat replicates natural sounds, bodily rhythms, or environmental patterns through meter and sound devices—such as galloping trochees for horses or sibilance for wind; this technique enhances realism and sensory immersion, allowing the poem’s form to embody its subject and create a synesthetic experience for the reader.
Example
Example in poetry:
Mimetic beat imitates natural sounds or rhythms, as in Tennyson’s “The Brook”: “I chatter, chatter, as I flow”; In “Jabberwocky,” Carroll mimics battle sounds: “He took his vorpal sword in hand”; Another: “The train clacks—clack-clack—clack-clack— / steel on steel, mile on mile”
Additional Notes
Mimetic beat replicates natural sounds, bodily rhythms, or environmental patterns through meter and sound devices (e.g., galloping trochees for horses); enhances realism and sensory immersion.
Also Known As
Imitative rhythm Onomatopoeic meter Echoic cadence Echoing meter Mimetic rhythm
Skip to main content