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Speech variety

Concept
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

The strategic use of varying linguistic registers—formal, colloquial, archaic, or technical—within a single poem to reflect shifts in tone, speaker, or context.

Detailed Definition
Speech variety in poetry refers to the diverse linguistic registers, dialects, and stylistic tones a poet employs within a single work or across works. It encompasses shifts from formal diction to colloquial slang, or the integration of regional speech patterns to create authenticity or character. For example, using alternating high poetic language and everyday common speech can create contrast and deepen meaning.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Canterbury Tales,” speech variety includes knight’s formal verse and miller’s bawdy prose; In “Citizen,” Rankine uses clinical, lyrical, and colloquial speech variety; Contemporary poet blends text-speak, scripture, and slang; Student example: poem shifting from academic to childlike diction; Another: speech variety in multilingual household poem.
Additional Notes
Speech variety incorporates multiple dialects, registers, or voices within one poem. Related to register-shifting. Creates polyphony—track whose voice dominates when, and how shifts reflect power or identity dynamics.
Also Known As
Speech modes Verbal variety Voice diversity Heteroglossia
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