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roke

Dialect
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

In northern English Dialect, especially Yorkshire speech, roke means fog, mist, or a thick smoky haze.

Detailed Definition
Roke* is a regional Dialect word for vapor in the air, usually fog or mist, though it can also suggest smoke or murky haze. In poetry, it often creates an atmosphere of coldness, dimness, and obscured vision. Its use can help establish a northern rural setting and preserve the sound and vocabulary of local speech.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Frederic William Moorman’s “Lile Doad,” the speaker recalls the onset of colder weather: “Wi' frost at neet an' roke by day, His face gate pinched an' thin.” Here, roke means daytime fog or mist. Paired with “frost at neet,” it creates a bleak, chilly autumn or winter setting that reflects the child’s increasing illness and frailty.
Additional Notes
Roke is especially associated with northern English and Scots Dialects, including Yorkshire Dialect. The word may refer to fog, mist, smoke, or a mixture of smoke and vapor, depending on context. It is related to the older English word reek, meaning smoke or vapor; reek remains common in Scots and northern Dialects. Do not confuse roke with standard English roke, the past tense of rake in some older usage. In Dialect poetry, context usually makes the meaning clear.
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