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spoken song

Genre
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

Poetry that blends elements of spoken word and song, often performed aloud with rhythmic or melodic inflection

Detailed Definition
Spoken song is a hybrid form blending poetic recitation with musical elements—rhythm, pitch, or melody—without full instrumentation, rooted in oral traditions from griots to slam poetry. It emphasizes performance, audience interaction, and vocal nuance, treating the voice as both narrative and musical instrument to convey emotion and cultural memory.
Example
Example in poetry:
Gil Scott-Heron’s "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"; Saul Williams’ performance poetry blending rap and verse; Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem as spoken song; Def Poetry Jam pieces with musical cadence
Additional Notes
spoken song refers to poetry composed for oral performance, emphasizing rhythm, intonation, and audience interaction over page aesthetics; students should consider its roots in oral traditions (epic, griot, slam) and how features like repetition, call-and-response, and vernacular diction create communal experience—this blurs boundaries between poetry, music, and theater.
Also Known As
performed poetry lyrical recitation vocalized verse sung lyric oral lyric Oral tradition verse
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