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Terzina

Form
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

An Italian tercet pattern used especially in terza rima, consisting of three lines with an interlocking rhyme scheme.

Detailed Definition
A terzina is a three-line stanza, typically with the rhyme scheme ABA BCB CDC, most famously used by Dante in the Divine Comedy and adopted in English by later poets.
Example
Example in poetry:
Terzina in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”: ABA BCB CDC rhyme scheme; In Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”: terza rima adapted to English; Terzina in contemporary poetry: Terrance Hayes’s “American Sonnet” variations; Modern terzina often uses slant rhyme to accommodate English phonology
Additional Notes
Italian term for tercet, especially in terza rima. Three-line stanza; understand as component. Study Dante's Divine Comedy for extended example. Foundation for various three-line forms.
Also Known As
tercet (Italian term) three-line stanza
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