Home › Glossary › Letter O

Ostinato phrase

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 phrase, line, or motif repeated persistently throughout a poem or song for emphasis or ritual effect.

Detailed Definition
An ostinato phrase is a short, repeated verbal or rhythmic motif that persists throughout a poem like a musical refrain, anchoring the composition while surrounding lines evolve; it can build tension, emphasize obsession, or serve as a structural heartbeat beneath shifting thematic currents.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ostinato phrase in blues poetry (e.g., Langston Hughes’ repeated lines); refrain in Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle”; musical ostinato in Amiri Baraka’s jazz poems; repetitive motifs in Anne Carson’s “The Glass Essay”
Additional Notes
Ostinato phrase: A persistently repeated musical or verbal phrase in poetry; creates rhythmic insistence or psychological obsession; related to refrain but often shorter and more rhythmic.
Also Known As
Repeated phrase Persistent motif Recurring pattern Stubborn refrain
Skip to main content