Home › Glossary › Letter P

Parisyllabic meter

Meter
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

Meters with lines of equal syllable count, ensuring uniformity in stanzas for structural harmony.

Detailed Definition
Parisyllabic meter maintains consistent syllables per line, common in French alexandrines for balanced elegance. It promotes cohesion; in neoclassical poetry, it reflects order, aiding formal unity in odes or epistles where symmetry underscores rational discourse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Parisyllabic meter has equal syllables per foot, as in "The wind, it blows" (parisyllabic); "The stars, they shine" (parisyllabic); "The fire, it burns" (parisyllabic); "The bells, they ring" (parisyllabic); "The river, flows" (parisyllabic); "The moon, it rises" (parisyllabic).
Additional Notes
Parisyllabic meter ensures all lines in a stanza have identical syllable counts, promoting visual and auditory uniformity; this precision aids memorization and enhances formal cohesion in fixed forms.
Also Known As
Isosyllabic meter equal-syllable meter
Skip to main content