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scazon hexameter

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

A six-foot line using scazon (limping meter) instead of regular rhythm

Detailed Definition
Scazon hexameter, or limping hexameter, is a satirical meter in which the final foot of a dactylic hexameter is replaced by a spondee or trochee, creating a halting, “limping” rhythm; used by Roman poets like Catullus for humorous or ironic effect, it subverts epic grandeur through deliberate metrical awkwardness.
Example
Example in poetry:
A line of six metrical feet (hexameter) that intentionally uses a spondee (′′) or trochee (′∪) in the fifth foot instead of the customary dactyl (′∪∪), making the line end awkwardly; a "limping" or "halting" hexameter.; A line of six feet where the meter is generally dactylic, but the second to last foot is stressed, giving the line an unexpected, disruptive rhythm.; A meter used in classical satirical verse (like the work of Catullus) to convey a sense of mockery or deliberate clumsiness.; A line of verse that is formally hexameter but uses a metrical substitution in the fifth position that causes the rhythm to stumble or halt, subverting the epic flow.
Additional Notes
Scazon hexameter (or choliamb) is a Greek and Latin metrical line based on the dactylic hexameter, but the final foot is metrically irregular, typically ending with a trochee (D U) instead of the expected spondee (D D), giving it a limping or 'scrambling' rhythm; often used for satire.
Also Known As
Hipponactean hexameter lame hexameter scazon six-foot line Choliambic hexameter
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