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Scazon pentameter

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 five-foot “limping” iambic line with spondaic substitution in the final foot

Detailed Definition
Scazon pentameter (or “limping iambic”) is a satirical Greek and Latin meter where the final foot of an iambic pentameter line is replaced by a spondee or trochee, creating a halting, “limping” rhythm; used by Hipponax and later Roman poets like Catullus for invective or comic effect, it subverts metrical regularity for expressive distortion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Scazon pentameter: Scazon (limping iamb) is typically a trimeter; pentameter scazon is rare—e.g., "He limps along the road with heavy tread" where final foot is spondaic for "limp."
Additional Notes
Scazon pentameter extends limping iambic principle to five-foot line. Reverses final foot from expected pattern. Compare standard iambic pentameter. Creates rhythmic disruption. Rare but effective for surprise endings.
Also Known As
Limping pentameter Choliambic five-foot Reversed-final pentameter Scazon five-foot
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