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Minor Ionic

Foot
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 classical metrical foot of four syllables: short-short-long-long, or unstressed-unstressed-stressed-stressed

Detailed Definition
Minor Ionic is a classical metrical foot comprising two short (or unstressed) syllables followed by two long (or stressed) syllables (υ υ – –), occasionally employed in English poetry for rhythmic contrast or to mimic natural speech cadences; its rising, emphatic quality can signal climax or resolution, offering poets a tool for dynamic prosodic variation beyond iambic norms.
Example
Example in poetry:
Minor Ionic: "In the still night / stars watch us"; "Softly the rain / falls on roofs"; "Dreams take flight / on silent wings"; "Gently the tide / pulls me under"
Additional Notes
Classical foot: two short syllables followed by two long (∪ ∪ – –). Also called "lesser ionic." Related: major ionic, classical meter. Rare in English; lighter, more rapid than major ionic in quantitative verse.
Also Known As
Short-short-long-long Lesser Ionic Double-short foot Ionic a minore
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