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Strong-stress meter

Meter
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

Verse measured by the number of stressed syllables per line, regardless of unstressed

Detailed Definition
Strong-stress meter counts only stressed syllables per line (typically 2–4), ignoring unstressed ones, and is characteristic of Old English alliterative verse and modern adaptations; it creates a robust, chant-like rhythm that emphasizes key words and oral performance.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Hígh on the moun|táin, còld and cléar” (stresses on “High,” “moun,” “cold,” “clear”); Old English “Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum” (four stresses per line); “Bróken, brís|tling brí|ght and bár|ren” (Hopkins’ sprung rhythm); “Cúp of chár|coal, éyes of íce” (strong beats dominate)
Additional Notes
Strong-stress meter counts only stressed syllables per line (e.g., Old English alliterative verse)—ancestral to English poetic tradition; revived by Hopkins in “sprung rhythm.”
Also Known As
Accentual verse strong-beat meter Germanic rhythm stress-based prosody Stress verse stress-based meter
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