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rhythmic stress

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

The deliberate emphasis on specific syllables to establish metrical pattern and rhythmic contour in poetic composition.

Detailed Definition
Rhythmic stress refers to the patterned emphasis placed on certain syllables within a poetic line to create meter and musicality; it forms the backbone of prosody, guiding the reader’s vocalization and shaping the poem’s emotional cadence through predictable or varied accentuation.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The CURfew TOLLS the KNELL of PARTing DAY,” stressed syllables mark the beat; Marking “LOVE is BLIND” with stresses on “LOVE” and “BLIND”; Scansion showing ictus (′) over stressed syllables: “′The ′world ′is ′too ′much ′with ′us”; Emphasizing key words through stress: “I said NO”
Additional Notes
Rhythmic stress highlights specific syllables through metrical emphasis to underscore key words or emotions; foundational to scansion and performance.
Also Known As
metrical accent stressed syllable rhythmic emphasis poetic stress Metrical emphasis Metrical stress
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