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Prosodic accent

Sound
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

The emphasis placed on a syllable based on its position and stress within a metrical pattern

Detailed Definition
Prosodic accent refers to the natural stress pattern of words in spoken language, which may differ from metrical expectations in verse; skilled poets manipulate the tension between prosodic and metrical accent to create expressive rhythm, using variations to emphasize meaning, convey emotion, or mimic speech patterns.
Example
Example in poetry:
Prosodic accent emphasizes syllables through meter, as in iambic pentameter: “To BE or NOT to BE, that IS the QUESTion”; In trochaic tetrameter: “TYger! TYger! BURNing BRIGHT”; Another: dactylic hexameter in Longfellow’s “Evangeline”: “THIS is the FORest primEVal, the MURmuring PINES and the HEMlocks”
Additional Notes
Prosodic accent refers to the natural stress pattern of words in a line, which may differ from metrical expectations; skilled poets manipulate this tension to create expressive rhythm.
Also Known As
Phonetic stress Natural emphasis Speech rhythm Accent mark Metrical emphasis prosodic grave
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