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Physical language

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

Diction that evokes the senses, body, or material world through concrete terms

Detailed Definition
Physical language uses words that evoke bodily sensations, textures, temperatures, or movements to create immersive, sensory-rich poetry; this diction grounds abstract emotions in tangible reality, allowing readers to feel the poem’s content through their own physical awareness.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Fish,” Bishop uses “brown skin hung in strips” and “rainbow, rainbow, rainbow”; In “Digging,” Heaney’s “squelch and slap / Of soggy peat” uses physical language; In “The Red Wheelbarrow,” “glazed with rain / water” is physical language; In “Fog,” “little cat feet” employs physical language.
Additional Notes
Physical language: Word choice emphasizing touch, body, and matter; helps root abstract feelings in sensory terms.
Also Known As
Concrete diction Corporeal words Tangible speech
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