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Racing meter

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 pattern that creates a sensation of speed and rapid forward progression

Detailed Definition
Racing meter describes verse with rapid, breathless pacing achieved through short lines, light feet (anapests/dactyls), minimal punctuation, and enjambment; it mimics urgency, flight, or exhilaration, often used in dramatic monologues or poems depicting motion or panic.
Example
Example in poetry:
Race-like meter: galloping anapests/dactyls; Fast-paced soldiers’ verse; Browning’s “How They Brought the Good News”; Swinburne’s rapid musicality.
Additional Notes
Racing meter uses rapid, often anapestic or dactylic rhythms to convey speed or urgency. Related to speed poetry and rock-clock meter. Common in comic or narrative verse—read aloud to feel the gallop; avoid breathlessness through strategic caesurae.
Also Known As
Swift meter Racing rhythm Rapid measure Fleet verse Cursorial verse Galloping meter
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