Home › Glossary › Letter R

recurring idiom

Device
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

A culturally specific phrase or expression repeated throughout a poem for thematic or rhythmic effect

Detailed Definition
A recurring idiom is a culturally specific phrase or expression that appears multiple times in a poem or poetic sequence, gaining layered meaning with each repetition; it can anchor the work in vernacular speech while evolving symbolically through contextual shifts.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Langston Hughes’s poetry, “Yes, ma’am” recurs as a recurring idiom of Black vernacular; In Joy Harjo’s work, “Remember” is a recurring idiom of Indigenous teaching; In Gwendolyn Brooks’s “We Real Cool,” “We” is a recurring idiom of collective identity; In Ocean Vuong’s poetry, “Ma” functions as a recurring idiom of maternal address.
Additional Notes
A recurring idiom repeats a colloquial phrase with shifting contexts to reveal new meanings; grounds poetry in vernacular while enabling depth—avoid cliché by twisting or subverting the idiom.
Also Known As
Repeated colloquialism cyclical phrase vernacular loop idiomatic refrain Individual pattern Unique recurring element
Skip to main content