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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 words that phonetically imitate natural sounds (e.g., “buzz,” “hiss”) to enhance sensory realism.
Explore this topic in depth (2)
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Detailed Definition
Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sounds imitate or suggest their meanings—such as “buzz,” “hiss,” or “clang”—to create sensory immediacy and auditory texture in poetry; Tennyson’s “The Brook” employs onomatopoeia (“I chatter, I flow”) to mimic the sounds of flowing water.
Example
Example in poetry:
Onomatopoeia: Tennyson’s “The splendour falls on castle walls” (echoes); Emily Dickinson’s “buzz” in “I heard a Fly buzz”; modern example: Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” uses “jazz June” for sonic texture; onomatopoeia mimics natural sounds (“hiss,” “crash,” “murmur”); it’s central to sound poetry and children’s verse; this device grounds language in sensory experience.
Additional Notes
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds (e.g., “buzz,” “hiss”); enhances sensory immediacy; common in children’s poetry and modernist sound experiments.