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surface cracking

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

A technique creating impression of textural fragmentation or breaking in verse

Detailed Definition
Surface cracking describes textural effects in poetry where the apparent unity or smoothness of language, syntax, or imagery is disrupted by multiple small breaks or fissures that suggest instability without complete fragmentation. This technique creates impressions of stress, weathering, or incipient dissolution through the introduction of minor discontinuities that fracture coherence while maintaining overall integrity. Surface cracking can represent psychological pressure, linguistic inadequacy, or thematic concerns with fragility and impermanence, engaging readers in perceiving patterns of disruption within ostensibly unified texts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Surface cracking appears in M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!”, where legal text fractures to reveal trauma; In Anne Carson’s “Glass, Irony and God,” prose cracks into lyric; In Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen,” smooth prose disrupted by racial violence; In Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth,” narrative surface cracks with memory; In Solmaz Sharif’s “Look,” military language cracks under emotional weight.
Additional Notes
Surface cracking describes textual imperfections or disruptions that suggest deeper instability—may include fragmented syntax, misspellings, or tonal shifts indicating psychological or social fracture.
Also Known As
Textural fissure Surface fracture Aesthetic cracking Visual rupture Craquelure
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