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Wordsworthian ballad

Form
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

A ballad in the style of William Wordsworth, emphasizing ordinary language and rural themes

Detailed Definition
A Wordsworthian ballad is a narrative poem in the style of William Wordsworth’s “Lyrical Ballads,” using simple language, rural settings, and ordinary characters to explore profound emotional or philosophical truths; it emphasizes sincerity, nature, and the sublime in everyday experience.
Example
Example in poetry:
Wordsworth’s “The Thorn,” depicting rural suffering; “Simon Lee, the Old Huntsman,” celebrating humble virtue; “Michael,” a pastoral ballad of loss; “The Idiot Boy,” using simple language to explore compassion
Additional Notes
Wordsworthian ballad: Refers to William Wordsworth’s lyrical ballads that use simple language and rural themes to explore profound emotion; contrast with Coleridge ballad (10105) which favors the supernatural.
Also Known As
Lyrical ballad Rustic verse Nature-infused narrative Simple-language lyric
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