Home › Glossary › Letter S

Sapphic Flow

Sound
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 lyrical rhythm echoing the quantitative meter of Sappho’s Aeolic verse, characterized by flowing, emotive cadences.

Detailed Definition
Sapphic Flow describes the lyrical, emotionally charged cadence derived from the classical Sapphic stanza, characterized by its distinctive rhythm and intimate tone; modern poets emulate it to evoke personal passion, feminine voice, or Aeolic musicality in free or adapted forms.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sapphic Flow: Anne Carson’s “If Not, Winter” translates Sappho’s hendecasyllabic lines; Modern Sapphics use 11-11-11-5 syllable structure; Flow balances lyrical intensity with rhythmic restraint; Sapphic stanzas evoke intimate address
Additional Notes
Sapphic Flow: Rhythm or style evoking the Greek poet Sappho, often using Sapphic stanzas; lyrical, intimate, musical.
Also Known As
Sapphic rhythm Lesbian Isle meter Greek lyric flow Sappho's pattern
Skip to main content