Home › Glossary › Letter S

secular songs

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Non-religious songs or poems focused on worldly themes such as love, nature, or daily life, often lyrical or narrative in form.

Detailed Definition
Secular songs are non-religious lyrical poems or ballads focused on worldly themes such as love, politics, nature, or daily life, often originating in oral tradition and later adapted into written verse; they contrast with sacred or liturgical poetry by emphasizing human experience over divine revelation, exemplified in troubadour lyrics or Renaissance madrigals.
Example
Example in poetry:
Medieval troubadour songs like Bernart de Ventadorn’s “Can vei la lauzeta mover” are secular songs celebrating courtly love; Renaissance lute songs by John Dowland, such as “Flow My Tears,” blend sacred form with secular longing; In "Songs of Innocence and Experience," Blake’s “The Garden of Love” critiques institutional religion through secular lament; Modern examples include Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” a secular protest song in folk-poetic form
Additional Notes
secular songs: Poems intended to be sung that deal with non-religious themes, such as love, nature, politics, or everyday life; contrasts with hymns or carols; includes genres like the ballad, lyric, or shantey.
Also Known As
Vernacular songs secular lyrics worldly songs Carmina
Skip to main content