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Multiple apostrophes

Device
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 use of several apostrophic addresses in a single passage or poem

Detailed Definition
Multiple apostrophes occur when a poem directly addresses several absent entities—people, abstractions, or objects—in rapid succession, amplifying emotional intensity or philosophical scope through layered invocation, as seen in odes or visionary lyrics.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem that addresses multiple different people or things in direct address, one after the other; A series of exclamations to different concepts or objects: 'O Love! O Time! O Cities of the Plain!'; A poem where the speaker invokes a Muse, a god, a beloved, and a political figure in successive lines; A long work that repeatedly breaks its narrative to speak directly to the reader, the landscape, or a memory.
Additional Notes
Multiple apostrophes: A poem containing several instances of apostrophe, where the speaker addresses two or more different absent persons, abstract ideas, or inanimate objects; can complicate the emotional focus.
Also Known As
repeated apostrophes multiple invocations successive addresses Apostrophic cascade
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