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Two-foot unit

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 metrical unit comprising precisely two feet (e.g., dimeter), forming a compact rhythmic segment common in lyrical or hymnal verse.

Detailed Definition
Two-foot unit indicates a metrical module consisting of two complete feet functioning together as a structural building block. This paired-foot arrangement organizes larger rhythmic patterns.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Tennyson uses two-foot units (dimeter): “Cannon to right of them”; In nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty,” dimeter creates rhythm: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall”; Emily Dickinson’s shorter lines often use two-foot units: “Hope is the thing”; In “We Real Cool,” Gwendolyn Brooks uses two-foot units: “We real cool”; Contemporary poet Kay Ryan uses two-foot units for epigrammatic force: “Tight rope”.
Additional Notes
Two-foot unit (dimeter) is the shortest common metrical line. Related to whole rising dimeter. Use to accelerate pace or create staccato effect—often paired with longer lines for contrast in mixed-meter poems.
Also Known As
Dipody Binary foot Two-foot measure
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