Engbers English - Prosody 1 (Rhythm)

Prosody
Part 1: Rhythm

These pages review the basic analysis of rhythm and meter in English poetry. For further information, look in the back of your literature textbook—most anthologies have an appendix that contains useful definitions and examples.
When we use a term such as "iambic pentameter" to describe a line of poetry, we are indicating that line's rhythm (iambic) and its meter (pentameter). This page describes the basics of rhythm. Part 2 discusses meter, and Part 3 applies these concepts to actual poems.

Stressed and unstressed syllables are the foundation of poetic rhythm.

Within words. When we say that a syllable is stressed, we mean that it is normally emphasized in spoken English. We stress the first syllables of the words "Calvin" and "College."


 /  u   /  u            (/ stressed; u unstressed) 
Calvin College

       Not:

  u  /   u  /           
*Calvin College         (* indicates an incorrect example)

Within sentences. Similarly, we emphasize particular syllables within sentences:

  /    u  /  u   /   u   /   u  /  u
That's a funny thing to say to someone.

 u   /   u    /   u   /  u    /  u  /
Did you guys see the concert yesterday?

If you reversed the stresses when you said this, your friends would think you were weird:

  /   u   /    u   /   u  /    u  /  u
*Did you guys see the concert yesterday?

Feet. Once you start noticing stressed and unstressed syllables in the language, you also notice that they frequently occur in patterns. The two examples above are both completely regular in their alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables. To discuss such patterns, we group stressed and unstressed syllables into units called feet. Feet come in two basic varieties: two-syllable and three-syllable.
- Two-syllable feet: iambs and trochees.
  - An iamb (u/) is a foot that contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. Examples: away, beware, until.
  - A trochee (/u) is the exact opposite of an iamb: it is a foot that contains a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. Examples: funny, Calvin, someone.
  In this sentence, there are five iambs:
```
u  /      u  /   u   /      u  /      u    /
I have | to go | or I'll | be late | for class.
   1       2        3         4         5
```
  In the following sentence, there are five trochees:
```
  /    u    /  u     /   u     /   u    /  u
That's a | funny | thing to | say to | someone.
    1        2         3         4        5
```
- Three-syllable feet: anapests and dactyls.
  - An anapest (uu/) contains two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one. (You could also describe an anapest as an iamb with an extra unstressed syllable at the beginning.)
  - A dactyl (/uu) is the reverse of an anapest: it contains a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones. (You could also describe a dactyl as a trochee with an extra unstressed syllable at the end.)
  Anapests:
```
 u  u   /      u   u   /      u   u      /     u    u    /        
By the smile | on her face | you could tell | that she knew.
      1              2             3               4

u   u    /      u  u   /       u  u   /     u  u    /
If the wea- | ther is nice, | we can sit | on the lawn.
    1               2             3            4
```
  Dactyls:
```
 / u u    /    u  u     /  u  u
Nobody | likes to be | disciplined.
   1          2              3

 / u   u     /   u     u     /   u    u     /   u  u
Under the | moonlight the | mermaids are | whispering.
    1              2              3            4

/   u   u     /  u  u     /  u   u     /  u  u
All of the | people at | Calvin are | Hollanders.
    1            2            3            4
```

Other feet. Iambs, trochees, anapests, and dactyls are the most common feet in English poetry. There are, however, two other feet that appear here and there. These will be discussed in Part 3. For now, the next step is simple: counting the feet.

Part 2: Meter