Home › Glossary › Letter V

Vocalic repetition

Sound
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

Repetition of vowel sounds within words for sonic effect, often linked to assonance

Detailed Definition
Vocalic repetition is the deliberate recurrence of vowel sounds (assonance) within words or lines to create sonic cohesion and musicality; for example, the long /iː/ in “deep,” “sleep,” and “keep” binds lines together without end-rhyme, offering flexibility in free verse while maintaining an aural thread that guides the listener’s ear.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" (repeated /eɪ/); "Deep green sea where dreams sleep" (long /iː/); "Old bones groan in the cold" (repeated /oʊ/); "Mist lifts, drifts, twists" (short /ɪ/); "Moon above the dune, tune in the noon" (long /uː/)
Additional Notes
Vocalic repetition emphasizes repeated vowel sounds (assonance) for sonic cohesion; students should identify internal echoes (e.g., "deep/sleep") and their musical effect; differs from rhyme by position; key in free verse and lyric poetry; linked to "vowel echo."
Also Known As
vowel recurrence assonantal echo sonorous refrain vocalic echo vocalic rhyme
Skip to main content