Home › Glossary › Letter M

mimetic repetition

Device
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

Repetition that imitates or mirrors a sound, action, or concept within the poem

Detailed Definition
Mimetic repetition is the strategic reuse of words, phrases, or syntactic patterns to imitate or embody the subject being described—such as repeating “falling” to evoke descent or “ringing” to mimic sound; this technique enhances sensory immersion and thematic resonance by making form mirror content, deepening the reader’s experiential engagement with the poem.
Example
Example in poetry:
mimetic repetition: "The bee buzzed and buzzed and buzzed until it found the bloom"; "Tick-tock, tick-tock, the clock mocked my waiting"; "Rumble, rumble, thunder rolled across the hills"; "Whisper, whisper, the leaves told secrets"; "Crash, crash, the waves beat against the shore"; Repetition imitates the sound or action described.
Additional Notes
mimetic repetition is a poetic technique where words, sounds, or structures are repeated to imitate or embody the subject matter (e.g., “buzz” for a bee); students should distinguish this from mere redundancy—it’s a form of iconicity where form mirrors content, enhancing sensory or emotional impact, as in onomatopoeia or anaphora in prophetic poetry.
Also Known As
echoic repetition imitative recurrence mimetic echo resonant recurrence Echo reduplication Mimetic reiteration
Skip to main content