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Paragoge

Rhetorical Devices
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 addition of a sound or syllable to the end of a word. It may shape rhythm, rhyme, dialect, or archaic tone.

Detailed Definition
Paragoge alters a word by extending its ending, sometimes through an extra vowel or syllable. Poets may use it to fit a metrical pattern, preserve a rhyme, imitate a regional voice, or evoke an older form of language. Because the alteration is audible, it can make diction feel musical or deliberately artificial. In some contexts, paragoge marks colloquial speech; in others, it creates a ceremonial or antiquated texture that distinguishes the poem’s voice.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The stars shineth above the hill” adds the final syllable -eth for a mock-archaic poetic sound; “Withouten fear, she crossed the moor” uses the extended form withouten rather than without; “Amongst the reeds, the heron stood” adds the final consonant cluster in amongst, a poetic variant of among; “The ballad’s ‘whilst the moon doth rise’ uses an added ending to create an older, songlike diction”
Additional Notes
Paragoge adds a final sound, as when a poet uses an altered or dialect form to meet meter or rhyme. It can also suggest an older pronunciation, regional voice, or playful speech. Compare apocope, which removes sounds from the end of a word.
Other Meanings of “Paragoge”
Also Known As
Epithesis
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