An Introduction to Stress and Meter
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Editor's Introduction
Editor’s Introduction: Scansion DAVID NOWELL SMITH _______________________ I would like to start from an intuition.1 This might seem an abuse of editorial privilege, and indeed might strike one as more generally tendentious: is an issue on ‘scansion’ the place for discussing one’s intuitions at all? For a start, it contravenes quite brazenly the strict separation between description and performance, lain down most powerfully by John Hollander well over half a century ago. For Hollander, a ‘descriptive’ system of scansion would aim at presenting schematically the whole ‘musical’ structure of a poem, whether this consists, in any particular case, of the prosodic features of the language in which it is written, the arrangement of elements completely foreign to that language (syllable counting in English verse for example), or even the arrangement of type on a page. A performative system of scansion, on the other hand, would present a series of rules governing a locutionary reading of a particular poem, before a real or implied audience. It would end up by describing not the poem itself, but the unstated canons of taste behind the rules. Performative systems of scansion, disguised as descriptive ones, have composed all but a few of the metrical studies of the past. Their subjectivity is far more treacherous than even that of reading poems into oscilloscopes and claiming that the image produced describes, or even is, the true poem.2 1 My great thanks to Ewan Jones on his comments on an earlier draft of this introduction. 2 John Hollander, ‘The Music of Poetry’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism vol. -
Introduction to Meter
Introduction to Meter A stress or accent is the greater amount of force given to one syllable than another. English is a language in which all syllables are stressed or unstressed, and traditional poetry in English has used stress patterns as a fundamental structuring device. Meter is simply the rhythmic pattern of stresses in verse. To scan a poem means to read it for meter, an operation whose noun form is scansion. This can be tricky, for although we register and reproduce stresses in our everyday language, we are usually not aware of what we’re going. Learning to scan means making a more or less unconscious operation conscious. There are four types of meter in English: iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic. Each is named for a basic foot (usually two or three syllables with one strong stress). Iambs are feet with an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable. Only in nursery rhymes to do we tend to find totally regular meter, which has a singsong effect, Chidiock Tichborne’s poem being a notable exception. Here is a single line from Emily Dickinson that is totally regular iambic: _ / │ _ / │ _ / │ _ / My life had stood – a loaded Gun – This line serves to notify readers that the basic form of the poem will be iambic tetrameter, or four feet of iambs. The lines that follow are not so regular. Trochees are feet with a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed syllable. Trochaic meter is associated with chants and magic spells in English: / _ │ / _ │ / _ │ / _ Double, double, toil and trouble, / _ │ / _ │ / _ │ / _ Fire burn and cauldron bubble. -
A Crash Course in Foot Structure
Representations Foot Parsing A Crash Course in Foot Structure Jochen Trommer [email protected] University of Leipzig Department of Linguistics Concatenative Approaches to Nonconcatenative Morphology EGG 2008 Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Not all syllables are created equal ba A ma la py tech ro nic Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Word Stress Metrical prominence of syllables in (phonological) words Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Phonetic Correlates of Word Stress I Length I Loudness I Pitch contour Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Consequences of Word Stress for Vowel Reduction EI t@m tO mIk @ I Vowels are maintained under stress I and reduced to [@] if unstressed Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Word Stress in the IPA [man.da."öi:.n@] ["Py:.b5.mO5.g@n] Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Overview Foot Parsing Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course in Foot Structure Representations Foot Parsing Prosodic Phonology Iambs&Trochees Hayes (1995) Word Stress in Prosodic Phonology (Selkirk, 1980) Phonological Word Footw Foots σs σw σs σw a la ba ma s = strong w = weak Jochen Trommer [email protected] A Crash Course -
Your Feet's Too Big: Downsizing English Metrics
Mad River Review Volume 1 Issue 1 Article 9 2016 Your Feet's Too Big: Downsizing English Metrics William Wilborn Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/mrr Part of the Fiction Commons Recommended Citation Wilborn, W. (2016). Your Feet's Too Big: Downsizing English Metrics, Mad River Review, 1 (1). This Criticism is brought to you for free and open access by CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mad River Review by an authorized editor of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact library- [email protected]. Wilborn: Your Feet's Too Big: Downsizing English Metrics WILLIAM WILBORN Your Feet’s Too Big: Downsizing English Metrics Classical English metrics, as in Shakespeare's iambic pentameter, is a method of grouping the local rhythms of language into two ascending levels of organization, the foot and the line or verse. Unfortunately our understanding of this method has long been clouded by theory. That is because verse is more like dancing than computation. A gardener at Rydal Mount remembered watching Wordsworth as he composed. In his innocence he reveals the physical basis of practical metrics. Essentially he tells us that for Wordsworth iambic meter was walking: I think I can see him at it now. He was ter'ble thrang [busy] with visitors and folks, you mun kna, at times, but if he could git awa fra them for a spell, he was out upon his gres [grass] walk; He would set his head a bit forrad, and put his hands behint his back. And then he would start bumming, and it was bum, bum, bum, stop; then bum, bum, bum, reet down til t'other end [of the walk], and then he'd set down and git a bit o' paper out and write a bit; and then he git up, and bum, bum, bum, and goa on bumming for long enough right down and back agean. -
Some Problems in Prosody
1903·] Some Problems in Prosody. 33 ARTICLE III. SOME PROBLEMS IN PROSODY. BY PI10PlCSSOI1 R.aBUT W. KAGOUN, PR.D. IT has been shown repeatedly, in the scientific world, that theory must be supplemented by practice. In some cases, indeed, practice has succeeded in obtaining satisfac tory results after theory has failed. Deposits of Urate of Soda in the joints, caused by an excess of Uric acid in the blood, were long held to be practically insoluble, although Carbonate of Lithia was supposed to have a solvent effect upon them. The use of Tetra·Ethyl-Ammonium Hydrox ide as a medicine, to dissolve these deposits and remove the gout and rheumatism which they cause, is said to be due to some experiments made by Edison because a friend of his had the gout. Mter scientific men had decided that electric lighting could never be made sufficiently cheap to be practicable, he discovered the incandescent lamp, by continuing his experiments in spite of their ridicule.1 Two young men who "would not accept the dictum of the authorities that phosphorus ... cannot be expelled from iron ores at a high temperature, ... set to work ... to see whether the scientific world had not blundered.'" To drive the phosphorus out of low-grade ores and convert them into Bessemer steel, required a "pot-lining" capable of enduring 25000 F. The quest seemed extraordinary, to say the least; nevertheless the task was accomplished. This appears to justify the remark that "Thomas is our modem Moses";8 but, striking as the figure is, the young ICf. -
Rhythm and Meter in Macbeth Iambic Pentameter (Nobles)
Grade 9 Analysis- Rhythm and Meter in Macbeth Iambic Pentameter (Nobles) What is it? Shakespeare's sonnets are written predominantly in a meter called iambic pentameter, a rhyme scheme in which each sonnet line consists of ten syllables. The syllables are divided into five pairs called iambs or iambic feet. An iamb is a metrical unit made up of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. An example of an iamb would be good BYE. A line of iambic pentameter flows like this: baBOOM / baBOOM / baBOOM / baBOOM / baBOOM. Why does Shakespeare use it? When Shakespeare's characters speak in verse (iambic pentameter), they are usually the noble (aristocratic) characters, and their speech represents their high culture and position in society. It gives the play a structured consistency, and when this is changed in instances of prose such as when Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth and when Lady Macduff talks with her son, these are normally instances where a situation is abnormal e.g. when the Porter babbles in his drunken haze. Trochaic Tetrameter (Witches) What is it? Trochaic tetrameter is a rapid meter of poetry consisting of four feet of trochees. A trochee is made up of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable (the opposite of an iamb). Here is the flow of a line of trochaic tetrameter: BAboom / BAboom / BAboom / BAboom. Why does Shakespeare use it? The witches’ speech patterns create a spooky mood from the start of the scene. Beginning with the second line, they speak in rhyming couplets of trochaic tetrameter. The falling rhythm and insistent rhyme emphasize the witchcraft they practice while they speak—boiling some sort of potion in a cauldron. -
ASSESSING POETRY MARKUP with NUSCHOLAR by MEGHA JYOTI
ASSESSING POETRY MARKUP WITH NUSCHOLAR by MEGHA JYOTI Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Computer Science at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia December 2013 © Copyright by Megha Jyoti, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Benefits of Digital Scansion Tool ............................................................................... 3 1.2 Motivation ................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Thesis Contribution ................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Solution Overview ..................................................................................................... 6 1.4.1 Requirement Gathering ................................................................................. 6 1.4.2 Design and Implementation ......................................................................... -
Metrical Feet Iamb (Iambic) Betray Anapest
Meter & Form Metrical Feet Iamb (iambic) betray Anapest (anapestic) intercede Trochee (trochaic) stupor Dactyl (dactylic) secondly Spondee (spondaic) stop light Pyrrhic a night / for the / ghosts Some Other Metrical Concerns caesuras end-stopped vs. enjambed lines rhyme ************************************ “It is not meters, but a meter-making argument that makes a poem.” Emerson “[Meter] can’t be merely a careless dash off, with no grip and no real hold to the words and sense.” Pound ************************************ According to Paul Fussell in Poetic Meter & Poetic Form, there are three principles of expression that metric variations convey: 1 A succession of stressed syllables without the expected intervening unstressed syllables can reinforce effects of slowness, weight, or difficulty; 2 A succession of unstressed syllables without the expected intervening stressed syllables can reinforce effects of rapidity, lightness, or ease; 3 An unanticipated reversal in rhythm implies a sudden movement, often of discovery or illumination; or a new direction of thought, a new tone of voice, or a change or intensification of poetic address. 1 Meter & Form Some Examples Listen! / you hear / the gra / ting roar / Of peb / bles which / the waves / draw back, / and fling, / At their / return, / up the / high strand, / Begin, / and cease, / and then / again / begin / . (Arnold, “Dover Beach”) . through many a dark and dreary Vale They pass’d, and many a Region dolorous, O’er many a Frozen, many a Fiery Alp, Rocks, Caves, Lakes, Fens, Bogs, Dens, and shades of death. (PL) Drove them before him Thunder-struck, pursu’d With terrors and with furies to the bounds And Crystal wall of Heav’n, which op’ning wide, Roll’d inward, and a spacious Gap disclos’d Into the wasteful Deep; the monstrous sight Strook them with hoor backward, but far worse Urg’d them behind; headlong themselves they threw Down from the verge of Heav’n, Eternal wrath Burnt after them to the bottomless pit. -
PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS the Foot Domain in Bambara Christopher R
PHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS The foot domain in Bambara Christopher R. Green University of Maryland —Center for Advanced Study of Language (CASL) Recent research has shed new light on the role and characteristics of prosodic domains, includ - ing segmental and tonal feet, in an array of languages. This research extends to African languages, but much work remains to be done. Tonal African languages are particularly problematic, as cor - relates of stress or metrical prominence are often not well defined or are absent altogether. In ad - dition, descriptive work may omit details of the structure and function of prosodic domains. An exception to this is Bambara, where research implicates a pivotal role for foot structure in seg - mental and tonal processes. These processes reference a foot domain; however , there are conflict - ing accounts of certain defining characteristics of its structure . This article aims to challenge two long-held claims about Bambara prosodic structure. The data presented support a claim that all Bambara feet are uniformly trochaic and parsed from left to right in all instances. I intend to illus - trate that Bambara segmental and tonal feet are a single, structurally unified prosodic entity. * Keywords : prosodic structure , foot domain , Bambara , Mande languages , headedness 1. Introduction . The characteristics of and roles played by prosodic feet and simi - lar structures (e.g. tonal complexes) in morphophonological phenomena have been the subject of many recent works (e.g. Akinlabi & Liberman 2006 , Akinlabi & Uria 2003 , Bennett 2012 , 2013, Bickmore 1995, 2003 , de Lacy 2002 , Green 2010 , Hannahs 2009 , Hermans 2011 , Jaker 2010 , Leben 1997, 2002, 2003 , Pearce 2006, 2007 , Yip 1996 , Zec 1999, among others). -
A Critical Analysis of the Sonnets of Charles Tenyson-Turner
RICE UNIVERSITY A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SONNETS OF CHARLES TENNYSON-TURNER by Wilkes Berry A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts Houston, Texas May 1962 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. Introduction ..... 1 2. Versification 4 3. Themes and Topics 7 I. Poetry 8 II. Pessimism 11 III. Home and Patriotism 13 IV. Technological Progress 17 V. War 19 VI. Lovers ...... 23 VII. Death 27 VIII. The Passing of Time 32 IX. Birds, Beaits, and Insects 33 X. Land, Sea, and Sky 45 XI. History 5 2 4. Religion 58 5. Structure and Imagery 82 6. Conclusion 106 7. Appendix ..... 110 8. Footnotes 115 9. Bibliography . 118 INTRODUCTION Charles Tennyson-Turner was born in 1808 at Somersby, Lincolnshire. He was the second of the two older brothers of Alfred Tennyson, with whom he matriculated at Cambridge in 1828. Charles was graduated in 1832, and after his ordination in 1835 he was appointed curate of Tealby. Later the same year he became vicar of Grasby; then in 1836 he married Louisa Sellwood, sister to Emily Sellwood, who later married Alfred Tennyson. The next year he inherited several hundred acres of land from his great-uncle Samuel Turner of Caistor. At this time he assumed the additional surname of Turner which he used the rest of his life.* Shortly before his marriage Turner had overcome an addiction to opium which resulted from his using the drug to relieve neuralgic pain; however, he soon resumed the use of opium. His wife helped to free him of the habit once more, but, in so doing, she lost her own health and had to be placed under medical care. -
From Neumes to Notation: a Thousand Years of Passing on the Music by Charric Van Der Vliet
From Neumes to Notation: A Thousand Years of Passing On the Music by Charric Van der Vliet Classical musicians, in the terminology of the 17th and 18th century musical historians, like to sneer at earlier music as "primitive", "rough", or "uncouth". The fact of the matter is that during the thousand years from 450 AD to about 1450 AD, Western Civilization went from no recording of music at all to a fully formed method of passing on the most intricate polyphony. That is no small achievement. It's attractive, I suppose, to assume the unthinking and barbaric nature of our ancestors, since it implies a certain smugness about "how far we've come." I've always thought that painting your ancestors as stupid was insulting both to them and to yourself. The barest outline of a thousand year journey only hints at the difficulties our medieval ancestors had to face to be musical. This is an attempt at sketching that outline. Each of the sub-headings of this lecture contains material for lifetimes of musical study. It is hoped that outlining this territory may help shape where your own interests will ultimately lie. Neumes: In the beginning, choristers needed reminders as to which way notes went. "That fifth note goes DOWN, George!" This situation was remedied by noting when the movement happened and what direction, above the text, with wavy lines. "Neume" was the adopted term for this. It's a Middle English corruption of the Greek word for breath, "pneuma." Then, to specify note's exact pitch was the next innovation. -
Definitions & Identify 1. Which of the Following Is A
Check for Understanding: Definitions & Identify 1. Which of the following is a definition of an iamb? (Short = unstressed, long = stressed) a. 1 short syllable followed by another short syllable b. 1 short syllable followed by a long syllable c. 1 long syllable followed by another long syllable d. 1 long syllable followed by a short syllable 2. Which of these words is an iamb? a. Employ b. Coffee c. Drinking d. Eat 3. Which of these words is not an iamb? a. Unfit b. Unwell c. Behold d. Freedom 4. What is the definition of a metrical foot? a. A syllable b. A group of 5 or more syllables c. A rhyme scheme in a poem d. A group of 2-3 syllables that form a rhythmic unit 5. All of these are types of metrical feet except – a. Iamb b. Trochee c. Spondee d. Taradactyl e. Dactyl 6. True or False: A metrical foot can only be one word. a. True b. False 7. True or False: An iamb must be more than one word. a. True b. False 8. True or False: Poems that rhyme have meter. a. True b. False 9. True or False: Poems that do not rhyme have meter. a. True b. False 10. True or False: A poem’s meter cannot change throughout a poem. a. True b. False Answer KEY 1. Which of the following is a definition of an iamb? (Short = unstressed, long = stressed) a. 1 short syllable followed by another short syllable b. 1 short syllable followed by a long syllable c.