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Self-answer

Device
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 rhetorical structure in which a speaker poses and immediately answers their own question

Detailed Definition
Self-answer is a poetic maneuver where a speaker poses a question and immediately supplies the answer, often within the same stanza or line, creating a closed loop of inquiry and resolution; this technique can convey certainty, introspection, or didacticism, as in devotional poetry where the soul questions and affirms divine truth in one breath.
Example
Example in poetry:
Self-answer poses and resolves a question within the poem: Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you? / Are you – Nobody – too?”; Wallace Stevens’ “The Snow Man” concludes its own inquiry; contemporary examples include Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” (“Ocean, don’t be afraid… you’ll be loved”); Rilke’s “You must change your life” answers the statue’s gaze; Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 resolves its opening question.
Additional Notes
Self-answer poses a question and immediately resolves it within the same stanza or line. Related to self-commentary stanza. Builds rhetorical momentum—use sparingly to avoid didacticism; best when the answer surprises or deepens.
Also Known As
Autological answer Self-contained reply Reflexive resolution Internal response Hypophora
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