Home › Glossary › Letter V

vocalic resonance

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

The acoustic richness produced by the recurrence of similar vowel sounds, enhancing musicality and mood without full rhyme.

Detailed Definition
Vocalic resonance refers to the lingering auditory effect created by repeated vowel sounds within a poetic passage, producing a harmonious or haunting tonal quality; this technique deepens atmosphere and emotional texture, especially in lyrical or incantatory verse where sound mirrors sense.
Example
Example in poetry:
Vowel sounds resonating through a stanza: “The old oak moans in autumn’s hold”; “Sea, free, be” creating open vowel harmony; “Low clouds bow over town” with repeated /aʊ/; “Clear air, near prayer” linking through /ɪə/
Additional Notes
Vocalic resonance: The richness or depth of sound created by the sustained or repeated use of particular vowel sounds throughout a passage, often evoking a specific emotional or sonic quality (e.g., open 'o' sounds for solemnity).
Also Known As
Vowel resonance Vocal tone echo Phonetic resonance Assonantal Vowel echo
Skip to main content