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orangutan

Fauna
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

An orangutan is a large, long-armed, reddish-brown ape native to Borneo and Sumatra, symbolizing the slow, solitary contemplative, the old man of the forest, and the vanishing mystery of the tropical treetops.

Detailed Definition
The orangutan's pensive, almost mournful expression and its deliberate, brachiating passage through the canopy make it a poetic emblem of solitary wisdom and the deep, unhurried rhythm of the rainforest. Its intelligence and ability to use tools suggest a creature that thinks deeply about its world. Poets use the orangutan to evoke the saturated, humid green of Southeast Asia's last great forests, the sadness of habitat loss, and the quiet, observant presence of a being that spends its life in the high branches, swaying gently with the wind.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem describes the orangutan's swinging: "Hooting in the air, Swinging in the breeze".; Another writes, "A circle of unbarbered redheads round a blue plastic milk pail".; The orangutan can symbolize the vanishing rainforest.; Its red fur represents the exotic.; The animal's intelligence is noted.
Additional Notes
The orangutan's pensive, almost mournful expression and its deliberate, brachiating passage through the canopy make it a poetic emblem of solitary wisdom and the deep, unhurried rhythm of the rainforest. Its intelligence and ability to use tools suggest a creature that thinks deeply about its world, making it a figure for contemplation and the slow, observing mind. Poets often use the orangutan to evoke the saturated, humid green of Southeast Asia's last great forests, the sadness of habitat loss, and the quiet, observant presence of a being that spends its life in the high branches. When writing, consider the orangutan's status as the "old man of the forest" and its vulnerability to the palm oil industry.
Also Known As
Orang-utan
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