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Quadruple length

Meter
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 metrical sequence containing four consecutive long (or stressed) syllables, creating a heavy, emphatic rhythmic effect.

Detailed Definition
Quadruple length describes metrical units or structural elements extended to four times normal duration. This expansion might apply to feet, syllables, lines, or stanzas, creating unusual spaciousness, emphasis, or dramatic effect through pronounced extension beyond typical patterns.
Example
Example in poetry:
In epic poetry, quadruple length lines like Anglo-Saxon alliterative long lines span four stresses; In “The Waste Land,” Eliot’s “April is the cruellest month” extends beyond pentameter to quadruple length (approx. 12 syllables); Contemporary poet C.D. Wright uses sprawling lines of quadruple length to capture Southern speech; In “Howl,” Ginsberg’s “who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up…” exceeds standard line length as quadruple length; Quadruple length in free verse allows cataloguing and breath expansion.
Additional Notes
Four consecutive long syllables in classical prosody. Creates maximum weight in quantitative verse. Difficult to achieve naturally in stress-based English.
Also Known As
Four-long measure Quadruple-heavy foot Four-stressed unit Tetra-long Dispondee
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