Home › Glossary › Letter R

Referential shift

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 change in what the poem points to or refers to during its progression

Detailed Definition
Referential shift: Movement between different objects of attention, points of focus, or subjects being indicated within the poem. The referential shift redirects what the poem points toward, creating progression through changing what is referenced rather than through narrative development or thematic elaboration, making indication itself the organizing principle.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the referential shift from “you and I” to “I” marks isolation; In “Citizen,” Rankine shifts from “you” to “we” to expand racial experience; In sonnet sequences, Shakespeare shifts from “thou” to “he” altering intimacy; In “Howl,” Ginsberg shifts from “I” to “Moloch” externalizing oppression; Referential shift in haiku: from “crow” to “I” in final line implying observer.
Additional Notes
A change in the referential framework or pointing direction within a poem. May indicate shifts in time, place, or focus of attention.
Also Known As
Deictic transition Demonstrative change Pointing shift Indexical movement Deictic shift
Skip to main content