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sower

Farming
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 sower is a person or machine that scatters or places seed in prepared soil.

Detailed Definition
The sower begins the crop cycle by distributing seed across land whose future yield remains uncertain. Traditionally depicted striding through a field and casting seed by hand, the figure carries strong visual and symbolic power. In poetry, the sower represents faith, labour, generosity, creation, teaching, and the transmission of ideas or values. Biblical parables deepen these meanings by linking different soils with human receptiveness. The sower's work is hopeful, but its results depend upon conditions beyond immediate control.
Example
Example in poetry:
A sower casting seed can represent faith, generosity, and purposeful beginnings; Seed falling on different soils may symbolise the varied reception of ideas or teachings; A tired sower may reveal the bodily effort beneath symbolic hope; A machine replacing the hand sower can illustrate agricultural change and the loss of an ancient gesture.
Additional Notes
A sower distributes seed by hand or machine after the soil has been prepared. The traditional figure striding across a field and casting seed has become an enduring image of faith, teaching, generosity, and uncertain results. Biblical parables often distinguish seed by the ground on which it falls. Students should connect the sower with both agricultural technique and moral symbolism. Related terms include sowing, seed, broadcasting, drill, furrow, soil, germination, and harvest.
Also Known As
seeder seed sower
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