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Ululation Verse

Sound
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

Poetry that imitates the high-pitched, wavering cry of ululation—often used in laments or ritual expressions of grief or celebration.

Detailed Definition
Ululation verse is poetry that mimics or evokes the high-pitched, wavering cry of ululation—traditionally a vocal expression of grief, celebration, or ritual—through sound patterning, vowel elongation, or rhythmic undulation; it embodies vocal extremity and cultural lament, often appearing in postcolonial or feminist poetry reclaiming embodied voice.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ululation Verse appears in ancient Greek laments; In African oral poetry, ritual wailing as poetic form; In contemporary poet Safia Elhillo’s bilingual ululations; In Joy Harjo’s “She Had Some Horses,” incantatory repetition; In CAConrad’s (Soma)tic rituals, vocalizations as verse.
Additional Notes
Ululation Verse: Verse employing wailing, shrieking, or howling sounds; used for lament or ritualistic energy.
Also Known As
Wailing verse Howling poetry Ululation poem Cry verse
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