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script-style breaks

Form
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

Line breaks in poetry that mimic the irregular spacing and flow of handwritten script, enhancing visual or rhythmic naturalism.

Detailed Definition
Script-style breaks are deliberate line or stanza interruptions in poetry that mimic the visual or rhythmic cadence of handwritten or typewritten scripts, often used to convey spontaneity, intimacy, or fragmentation; these breaks may disregard traditional metrical or syntactic boundaries, instead following the natural flow of thought or breath as if the poem were being composed in real time on a page.
Example
Example in poetry:
In e.e. cummings’s “l(a,” line breaks mimic falling: “l(a / le / af / fa / ll / one / l)iness”; Concrete poets like Apollinaire use script-style breaks to shape visual meaning in “Il Pleut”; bpNichol’s “The Last One” uses staggered breaks to simulate handwriting; In Susan Howe’s “Debths,” script-style breaks fragment historical documents into poetic lines
Additional Notes
Script-style breaks is a term for a poetic structure that utilizes the visual conventions of a dramatic script (e.g., character names, stage directions, dialogue breaks) to organize the text, emphasizing the performative and conversational elements.
Also Known As
Scriptlike break stage-style pause script fragment Calligraphic lineation
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