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sarong

Apparel
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 large piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and tied, worn as a skirt or dress in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, appearing in poetry as a symbol of tropical life, ease, and cultural identity.

Detailed Definition
The sarong is a versatile garment, worn by both men and women in many island and coastal cultures, from Indonesia to Hawaii. Its batik or ikat patterns are often described in vivid color, and its loose, draped fit suggests a climate of warmth and leisure. In colonial and postcolonial poetry, the sarong can be a marker of native identity against Western dress, sometimes with political overtones of resistance and reclaiming. In love poetry, the sarong might be removed in a breeze or loosened at the shore, its fabric clinging to the skin. Its simplicity—a single rectangle—allows poets to focus on the body and movement. The sarong also appears in poems of travel and exoticism, though contemporary writers approach this with nuance, celebrating its beauty and cultural specificity.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Her sarong of batik was a map of islands and an ocean of color"; "The sarong's cotton clung to her skin in the tropical heat"; "He wrapped his sarong and sat on the beach, a king of his own shore"; "The sarong, faded by the sun, was the color of the sand"; "She wore her sarong to the market, a flag of her home"; "The sarong's pattern told the story of her family's voyages"
Additional Notes
The sarong is a versatile garment, worn by both men and women in many island and coastal cultures, from Indonesia to Hawaii. Its batik or ikat patterns are often described in vivid color, and its loose, draped fit suggests a climate of warmth and leisure. In colonial and postcolonial poetry, the sarong can be a marker of native identity against Western dress, sometimes with political overtones of resistance and reclaiming. In love poetry, the sarong might be removed in a breeze or loosened at the shore, its fabric clinging to the skin. Its simplicity—a single rectangle—allows poets to focus on the body and movement. The sarong also appears in poems of travel and exoticism, though contemporary writers approach this with nuance. Related terms include lungi, dhoti, and wrap skirt. Students should note the sarong's associations with tropical life, leisure, and cultural identity.
Also Known As
Malay wrap Southeast Asian skirt tubular cloth
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