Home › Glossary › Letter P

Proxemics

Performance
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

The expressive use of distance between performers, objects, and audience members. It can create intimacy, pressure, or separation.

Detailed Definition
Proxemics concerns how physical closeness and distance affect the meaning of a live reading. Standing near the audience may make a confession feel urgent, while remaining far back can suggest isolation, formality, or resistance. In group performance, changing the space between speakers can embody conflict, solidarity, or exclusion. Poets use proxemics to give visual force to themes such as belonging, power, memory, and personal boundaries.
Example
Example in poetry:
A performer can stand close to the audience during a confidential poem to create intimacy; For a poem expressing anger or isolation, stepping farther from the audience can make the speaker seem emotionally withdrawn; In a duet performance, two poets can begin far apart and move closer as their speakers find connection; A reader can avoid crowding the microphone or audience during an explosive line, using measured distance to preserve clarity and respect
Additional Notes
Distance communicates relationships before words do. Moving closer can create intimacy or urgency, while stepping back may suggest isolation, caution, or conflict.
Also Known As
Spatial Relationships Use of Space
Skip to main content