Home › Glossary › Letter P

Polyphonic sonnet

Form
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

A sonnet that presents contrasting or complementary voices—real or imagined—within its 14 lines to dramatize dialogue or inner conflict.

Detailed Definition
Polyphonic sonnet: A fourteen-line poem featuring multiple distinct voices or speakers that create harmonic or contrapuntal effects, borrowing the musical concept of polyphony to describe sonnets with several simultaneous or alternating vocal lines.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sonnets incorporating multiple speaking voices; fourteen-line poems with various perspectives; sonnets featuring chorus-like effects; multi-character traditional forms
Additional Notes
Sonnet incorporating multiple speaking voices; challenges poet to maintain distinct characterizations within tight form; may present conversation, debate, or chorus; requires skillful differentiation of speakers through voice and style
Also Known As
Multi-voiced fourteen-liner Dialogue sonnet Multiple-speaker form Contrapuntal Sonnet Counterpoint sonnet Double-voiced sonnet Dual-voiced fourteen-liner
Skip to main content