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Song apostrophe

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

An instance in song or lyric poetry where the speaker addresses someone not present or something nonhuman

Detailed Definition
Song apostrophe is a direct address to an absent person, abstract concept, or inanimate object within a lyric poem (“O Death, be not proud”), heightening emotional intensity through imagined dialogue; this rhetorical figure animates the addressee as a responsive presence in the song’s emotional landscape.
Example
Example in poetry:
“O Death, where is thy sting?” (Christian hymnody); “Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour” (Wordsworth); “O World, I cannot hold thee close enough!” (Sara Teasdale); “O Time, thou must untangle this, not I” (Shakespeare)
Additional Notes
Song apostrophe: A direct address within a song or lyric poem, often to an absent or inanimate entity; a subtype of poetic invocation (10085) and lyric direct address (10084).
Also Known As
Lyrical address Vocative entreaty Ode-like invocation Direct song appeal Lyric apostrophe
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