Home › Glossary › Letter S

syke

Dialect
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Syke is a Scots dialect term for a small stream, ditch, or drain, often used to evoke rural landscapes.

Detailed Definition
'Syke' is a term from Scots dialect referring to a small stream or drainage channel. Its use in the poem adds to the rural imagery and setting, grounding the narrative in a specific landscape. This term enhances the poem's connection to nature and the environment surrounding the carline wife and her sons.
Example
Example in poetry:
But at the gates o' Paradise syke stream; enhanced: "Syke of sorrow at Paradise gates"; dialect lament: "Syke flows with tears"; contemporary: "Syke of forgotten paths"; educational: "Syke rivulet in Scottish ballads"; "Gates o' Paradise crossed by syke."
Additional Notes
The word 'syke' contributes to the poem's vivid imagery of the natural world.; Found in the poem, The Wife of Usher's Well by Anonymous
Also Known As
small stream brooklet rill or ditch
Skip to main content