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Two-epitrite line

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

A line combining two epitrites (a classical foot of three long and one short syllable)

Detailed Definition
A classical metrical line composed of two epitrites, each containing three long and one short syllable in quantitative prosody. This technical term from ancient Greek and Latin poetry represents basic building blocks of more complex metrical structures. Understanding such constructions helps appreciate how classical poets organized rhythm through syllable length rather than stress patterns characteristic of English verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Strong beats, strong beats, strong beats, strong beats”; “Four heavy thuds like marching feet”; “Stress on first, stress on last—two pillars”; “Two strong beats hold the line in place”; “Like hammer strikes on anvil bright”
Additional Notes
Classical metrical construction requiring understanding of epitritic foot structure. Combines two four-syllable feet with specific long-short patterns. More relevant for classical prosody than English verse.
Also Known As
Double epitrite Bi-epitrite line Two-unit classical Epitritic dimeter
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