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Praeteritio line

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 line that mentions by denying mention (praeteritio), thereby calling attention to the omitted subject.

Detailed Definition
A Praeteritio line is a poetic statement that draws attention to something by professing to omit or pass over it, thereby emphasizing it through feigned neglect; derived from the rhetorical figure praeteritio (or paralipsis), this device creates ironic emphasis—as in “I won’t mention his betrayal”—allowing poets to insinuate sensitive or scandalous content while maintaining a veneer of discretion or decorum.
Example
Example in poetry:
Praeteritio line in Shakespeare: “I will not speak of his great worth…” (while doing so); In Auden: “I shall not mention the war, though it haunts every line”; Praeteritio in Claudia Rankine: “I won’t say how often I’ve been called…”; Contemporary: “Not that I care about your silence—but it echoes” – Ocean Vuong
Additional Notes
Line claiming not to say what it proceeds to say. Rhetorical irony in verse line. Related to paralipsis and apophasis; creates emphasis through denial.
Also Known As
Omission line Denial-while-stating verse Passing-over measure Paralipsis line
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