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Reflexive intensifier

Grammar
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 reflexive pronoun used to intensify or emphasize the subject of a sentence

Detailed Definition
Reflexive intensifier is a grammatical construction using reflexive pronouns (e.g., “myself,” “herself”) not for syntactic necessity but to amplify emphasis, agency, or emotional weight; in poetry, this device underscores the speaker’s self-awareness, autonomy, or heightened presence within the lyrical moment.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 121: “’Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed”; Emily Dickinson: “I’m Nobody! Who are you?”; Walt Whitman: “I celebrate myself”; Sylvia Plath: “I am the arrow.”
Additional Notes
A reflexive intensifier (e.g., “myself,” “yourself”) adds emphasis by reflecting the subject back on itself; common in confessional poetry; students should note how it heightens agency or isolation.
Also Known As
Reflexive amplifier Intensifying self-word Self-referential booster Personal intensifier Intensive pronoun
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