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Scaffold

Craft Terms
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 scaffold is a provisional structure that supports a poem while it is being composed.

Detailed Definition
A scaffold is any temporary framework used to help a poem develop before its final shape is known. Lists, section headings, repeated questions, drafts of rhyme, or an adopted stanza pattern can guide invention without needing to remain in the finished work. The scaffold gives the poet a place to test sequence and proportion. Like construction supports, it may be removed later, though traces can remain as purposeful symmetry, omission, or visible process.
Example
Example in poetry:
A scaffold is a temporary structural device, such as an outline, repeated draft, or sequence of questions, that helps a poet build a poem; A poet may draft every stanza around the question “What remains?” and remove the question after the poem becomes secure; Numbered sections can scaffold a long poem before the poet decides whether the numbering belongs in the final version; A formal constraint, such as writing one tercet each morning, can scaffold discovery without appearing in the finished poem
Additional Notes
A scaffold may include an outline, stanza map, sequence of questions, borrowed form, or temporary refrain. It gives the poet something to build against while drafting, but it need not remain visible in the finished poem. Scaffolding is especially useful for managing long poems and complicated shifts in time. Distinguish it from the poem’s final architecture: a scaffold supports discovery, while form supports reading.
Also Known As
Framework Armature Scaffolding
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