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Word recurrence

Device
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

The deliberate repetition of specific words for emphasis or cohesion

Detailed Definition
Word recurrence repeats key terms or phrases at strategic points to build thematic emphasis, sonic texture, or ritualistic rhythm; unlike mere redundancy, this technique layers meaning through variation in context, creating resonance across the poem’s architecture.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Love, love, love— / All I think of, all I speak of”; “Never, never, never give in” (Churchill); “Remember, remember the fifth of November”; “Alone, alone, all, all alone— / Alone on a wide wide sea” (Coleridge)
Additional Notes
Word recurrence repeats key words for emphasis, ritual, or structural unity—differs from refrain by lacking fixed position; powerful in incantatory or minimalist poetry.
Also Known As
Lexical recurrence word repetition verbal echo refrain word Term recurrence Vocabulary return
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