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Skeltonic verse

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

Short, tumbling lines with multiple rhymes, named after John Skelton

Detailed Definition
Skeltonic verse, named after the 16th-century English poet John Skelton, features short, irregular lines with rapid, tumbling rhythms, frequent monosyllabic rhymes (often triple or quadruple), and a satirical or irreverent tone, creating a breathless, energetic cadence that mimics colloquial speech and social critique.
Example
Example in poetry:
Skeltonic verse: John Skelton’s "Ware the Hauke": "I prey yow, mastres, both mor and lesse, / That ye fle from the haukes fellynesse"—short, rapid lines with irregular rhyme and strong rhythm.
Additional Notes
Skeltonic verse uses short, irregularly rhymed lines with tumbling rhythm, named for John Skelton. Also called tumbling verse. Related to doggerel but more controlled. Rapid-fire effect. Satiric associations. Study Skelton's originals.
Also Known As
Skeltonics tumbling verse
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