Lesson 2 - Iambic Pentameter Notes
Iambic Pentameter
Iambic Pentameter has:
- Ten syllables in each line
- Five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables
- The rhythm in each line sounds like:
ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM / ba-BUM
Identifying Word Stress
- A multi-syllable word has a prominent syllable. This is called a stressed syllable.
- Stressed syllable is longer in duration, higher in pitch, and louder in volume.
- Duration is the primary attribute to the prominence of a syllable.
- Usually 2 syllable nouns (90%+) have the stress on the first syllable; 2 syllable verbs (60%+) have the stress on the second.
- Except for the compounds, stressed syllables in words with more than 2 syllables never stand next to each other (Stressed syllables and weak syllables alternate).
Stress Notation in a Dictionary
The stress is often indicated this way: a single stress mark precedes a syllable with primary (strongest) stress; a double mark precedes a syllable with secondary (medium) stress; and a third level of weak stress requires no mark at all. However, other dictionaries place the stress marks after the syllable that is stressed. Usually, hyphens are used to separate syllables in pronunciation transcriptions. (The centered dots in boldface entry words indicate potential end-of-line division points and not syllabication.) Parentheses are used in pronunciations to indicate that whatever is symbolized between them is present in some utterances but not in others.
