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Molossic dimeter

Meter
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 two-foot line of molossi (three long syllables per foot), creating heavy, solemn beat

Detailed Definition
Molossic dimeter consists of two molossus feet per line, each a three-syllable stressed unit (/ / /), yielding a heavy, emphatic six-syllable rhythm; extremely rare in English, it appears in experimental or parodic verse to convey weight, solemnity, or bombast through maximal stress.
Example
Example in poetry:
Molossic dimeter (three stressed syllables) appears in Greek drama choruses; Contemporary poet Anne Carson mimics molossic dimeter in “Short Talks” for emphasis; Ezra Pound’s “Canto I” uses molossic bursts within hexameter; Robert Herrick’s “Corinna’s Going A-Maying” uses molossic dimeter for festive rhythm; Greek hymns to Dionysus employ molossic dimeter for ritual intensity; A.E. Stallings uses molossic dimeter in “Hapax Legomenon” for linguistic weight.
Additional Notes
Line of two molossic feet (– – – –). Extremely rare in English. Related: molossic meter, spondee. Creates heavy, emphatic, slow rhythm. Tip: More theoretical than practical in stress-based English prosody.
Also Known As
Triple-stress dimeter Three-long two-foot Heavy dimeter All-stressed short line
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