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Paragoge

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

Paragoge is a phonetic device involving the addition of a sound or syllable at the end of a word, often for metrical convenience or poetic effect.

Detailed Definition
Paragoge is a prosodic and morphological phenomenon wherein an extra sound or syllable is added to the end of a word, often for metrical convenience, euphony, or archaic effect; in English poetry, this may appear in dialectal or stylized verse (e.g., “oftentimes” instead of “often”) or in rhyming strategies where a poet appends a syllable to achieve a feminine rhyme, as in Shakespeare’s occasional use of “-eth” endings for rhythmic closure.
Example
Example in poetry:
Paragoge in Chaucer adding final -e for meter (“name” pronounced “nah-meh”); Spanish adding -o to verbs (“hablar” → “hablao” in dialect); paragogic -n in Middle English (“hous” → “housen”); modern paragoge in hip-hop prosody (“walkin’”)
Additional Notes
Paragoge: The addition of a sound or syllable at the end of a word (e.g., “withouten” for “without”); used in older English poetry for metrical or rhyming needs; a type of metaplasm.
Other Meanings of “Paragoge”
Also Known As
Added ending Final vowel addition Suffix attachment End-augmentation
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