Home › Glossary › Letter R

Responsive hexameter

Meter
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 hexameter pattern designed for responsive or alternating poetic voices.

Detailed Definition
A Responsive hexameter is a classical six-foot line adapted for call-and-response performance, often split between speakers or altered to accommodate interactive recitation; it retains dactylic rhythm while serving communal or liturgical functions that emphasize collective rather than solitary utterance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Responsive hexameter: Classical hexameter lines crafted to answer or echo prior lines; Used in epics to create dialogue or reflection; Homer's Iliad features responsive patterns.
Additional Notes
A line of six metrical feet (hexameter) that is composed as a direct reply or answer to a preceding line of the same length, maintaining the classical meter within a dialogue.
Also Known As
Reply hexameter answering six-foot verse Antiphonal hexameter Variable hexameter
Skip to main content