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Perlocutionary device

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

A perlocutionary device is a linguistic strategy intended to provoke a specific emotional or behavioral response in the reader or listener.

Detailed Definition
A perlocutionary device in poetry refers to linguistic strategies designed to produce a specific effect on the reader beyond the literal meaning of the words—such as evoking emotion, prompting action, altering perspective, or inducing catharsis—drawing from speech-act theory where perlocutionary acts concern the consequences of utterance; poets employ tone, imagery, rhythm, or rhetorical questions not merely to say something but to make the reader feel, reconsider, or respond, as when a protest poem’s stark diction aims not just to describe injustice but to galvanize moral outrage and social engagement.
Example
Example in poetry:
Perlocutionary device appears in Auden’s “Stop all the clocks,” where the command aims to halt time itself; In Plath’s “Daddy,” “I’m through” performs liberation; In Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again,” the refrain enacts political demand; In Rankine’s “Citizen,” “You are…” forces reader complicity; In Ocean Vuong’s “Dear Rose,” apostrophe performs healing.
Additional Notes
Perlocutionary device aims to produce an effect in the reader (e.g., shock, catharsis) beyond literal meaning; tied to speech act theory—consider audience response in revision.
Also Known As
Effect device Persuasive tool Impact mechanism Perlocutionary technique
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