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ostranenie

Concept
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 Russian Formalist concept of defamiliarization, making the familiar seem strange through art

Detailed Definition
Ostranenie (Russian for “defamiliarization”) is a poetic technique that renders the familiar strange through unusual perspective, syntax, or imagery, forcing the reader to perceive ordinary things anew, a concept central to Russian Formalism and modernist innovation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Making the familiar strange, such as describing a coin as "a small, cold, circular moon of copper and nickel" rather than just a coin; Describing a simple action like pouring tea by focusing on the physical mechanics and sound: "The amber cascade, a thin, curved sheet, fractured into steam-ribbed whirlpools in the porcelain cup"; The defamiliarization of a common object, forcing the reader to see it anew, a concept from Russian Formalism; Describing a sunset in scientific terms of light refraction and atmospheric particulates rather than the usual romantic imagery.
Additional Notes
ostranenie: A Russian term (from Viktor Shklovsky) meaning "estrangement" or "defamiliarization"; a key literary technique where the poet presents common things in an unfamiliar, strange, or new way to sharpen the reader's perception and prevent habitual response; a major concept in Formalism.
Also Known As
defamiliarization estrangement making-strange effect Defamiliarising image
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