Word montage

Form
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

A poetic composition created by assembling fragments of words or phrases from diverse sources

Detailed Definition
Word montage is a poetic technique that assembles fragments of language—phrases, slogans, overheard speech, or textual debris—into a collage-like structure, reflecting the fragmented nature of modern experience; influenced by cinematic montage and Dada, it creates meaning through juxtaposition rather than linear narrative, as in T.S. Eliot’s allusive cityscapes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ezra Pound’s Cantos use word montage with historical fragments; Modernist poetry often collages phrases like film montage; “Newsreel” sections in Dos Passos’ prose show word montage adapted to poetry; Cut-up technique (Burroughs) creates word montage
Additional Notes
Word montage assembles fragments of language—quotes, slogans, overheard speech—into a poetic collage; central to modernist and postmodern techniques (e.g., Eliot, Ashbery).
Also Known As
Textual Collage Fragmented Diction Linguistic Patchwork Assembled Speech Linguistic montage
Skip to main content