1667:
dissent, however, can be seen in terms of Otto
Jespersen's resolute denial of the "fallacy of the foot" (1979, p 109); he described verse lines instead as a series of "weak" and "strong" positions, and both generative metrists and "rhythmi-metrical" scanners have generally followed in his anti-footsteps. Halle & Keyser (1972, p 222) dismiss the foot, their signal concept the "Stress Maximum" explicitly transcending (or transgressing) its boundaries. Paul Kiparsky however (a later generativist) reinstates the concept of the foot ("Generative Metrics" in Preminger & Brogan 1993, pp 452–53). Derek Attridge (1982, p 17) says, "t best, then, the division of lines into feet adds nothing, at worst it hinders accurate analysis of the metrical variations which all readers perceive." Alone among the "rhythmi-metrical" scanners Peter L. Groves reintroduces "notional" feet at a very general level (they figure in his verse theory but not in his actual scansions), but he distances his notion from that of traditional metrics (1998, p 107). T.V.F. Brogan ("Foot" in Preminger & Brogan 1993, p 419) threads the needle, saying that the foot is "more than a mere analytic tool, a device of scansion: it is a principle of structure" yet that it is "not necessarily an element in poetic composition ... and it is almost certainly not an element of performance"; and finally that "n scansion, it can be used to describe and analyze verse whose regularities support it, and not verse which does not."
173:
phonological and syntactic structure of the line . . . But all such efforts exceed the boundary of strict metrical analysis, moving into descriptions of linguistic rhythm, and thus serve to blur or dissolve the distinction between meter and rhythm. Strictly speaking, scansion marks which syllables are metrically prominent – i.e. ictus and nonictus – not how much. Scansions which take account of more levels of metrical degree than two, or intonation, or the timing of syllables are all guilty of overspecification.
20:
1194:
545:& Smith posited 4 phonemic levels of stress in English. This was in a broad linguistic context, not specifically pertaining to verse; nevertheless, in the 1950s and 1960s linguistically oriented prosodists (such as John Thompson, Harold Whitehall, and Seymour Chatman) attempted to use these 4 levels of stress to formulate a fuller explanation of meter.
714:, and sometimes as a single 4-syllable unit (a minor or rising ionic) that replaces 2 iambic feet. This is a case in which 2-level scansion is felt to miss something essential even by some rather strict prosodists. In fact, Groves has shown that in cases like this, where the ictus moves forward (as opposed to backward as in "When to")
1283:
All syllables with short vowels, even those that would be long 'by position' in
Classical terms. That is, if the consonants around a short vowel do not genuinely retard the syllable then it will be counted 'light'. Light also includes all classically short syllables. For example, the second syllables
1181:
says: "In my casual perusals, I have of course slammed shut without further ado any such works on
English prosody in which I glimpsed a crop of musical notes." (pages 3–4) Harvey Gross' criticism also described the theory as lacking in good sense, saying "it scatters sand in the eyes and pours wax in
1142:
Further, while his metrical scansion begins as a familiar wSwSwSwSwS, he allows "w" and "S" to trade places under certain conditions, and when they do their mapping rules are altered, requiring additional symbols. In the first (rhythmic) line of scansion, syllables that impinge on their neighbors are
189:
Minimally, graphic scansion requires only two symbols, designating ictic and non-ictic syllables. These symbols are typically placed over the first vowel in every syllable. Some prosodists indicate only ictic (or, in rhythmic scansion, only stressed) syllables, but this is not ideal since the number,
939:
uses scansion as a basis for statistical analysis of verse. She has used several versions of the scansion levels shown above, some more and some less fine-grained, and some reduced to numerical values; but all relate to this basic 3 × 2 structure. In the metrical component of her scansion, she (like
783:
In addition to making rhythm and meter distinct, all three prosodists provide explicit rules for assigning stress levels so that, as far as possible, this becomes an objective process driven by lexicon and syntax, rather than depending upon the "ear" of the scanner. Their works must be consulted for
144:
is another matter. It is an ordering of language by means of an extremely limited subset of its characteristics. In
English (and in many modern languages) the language is ordered by syllabic stress. All other aspects of language are present, indeed they are vital to the rhythm of the verse; but they
220:. Foot analysis tends to imply that there is a special relationship among syllables within feet which does not apply across feet, but this is doubtful. Furthermore, iambic pentameter (despite its name) may be better described as a series of 10 positions than of 5 feet, especially since the sequence
1185:
One account cited that musical scansion was an experimental technique during the nineteenth century but was obscured by the then existing conventional scansion. An interpretation of the notion of musical scansion states three theories: 1) beats occur at regular intervals of time; 2) syllables of a
445:
of the line, Brogan's chickens have come home to roost: the first line's 3-level scansion may tend to obscure the basic metrical pattern, but the second line's scansion actually falsifies it. (Does the second line comprise 4 or 6 metrical prominences? The answer is, still, 5, but that could not be
207:
Not all prosodists agree that foot scansion is helpful. For example, in trisyllabic measures (anapestic, amphibrachic, dactylic) it is often quite arbitrary where one divides the feet, and the salient fact seems to be the number of non-ictic syllables —in this case two— between each ictus, rather
152:
may have anywhere from 2 to 9 stresses, but it is still felt to exhibit 5 pulses or beats. This can most easily be understood through the principle of relative stress: an unstressed syllable between 2 even slightly weaker syllables may be perceived as a beat; and the reverse is true of a stressed
979:
alternate, but matches beats to prominent syllables by allowing offbeat positions to be filled by 0, 1, or 2 syllables (represented by ô, o, and ǒ respectively). The top line represents his "single-line" scansion from 1995, and the lower lines uses his original two-line system of 1982 (these are
264:
Metrical scansion explicitly requires a 2-level notation. Because of the variety of stress levels in language, 2-level notation is not adequate for a rhythmic scansion of any sensitivity. Yet, because of the confusion between rhythm and meter, the number of levels used is no sure indication of a
429:
Although both lines of Pope quoted above are metrically identical regular pentameters, they create that same basic metrical pattern in very different ways. To show this, one must note the rhythm, not just the meter, of the lines, and recourse must be had to additional levels of notation. In the
745:
The two main approaches to scansion result in a conundrum: metrical scansion necessarily ignores significant differences in stress, the very signal that meter orders; yet rhythmic scansion obscures meter and tends to be overly subjective. Jespersen provided the components of a solution to this
172:
Since meter is a system of binary oppositions in which syllables are either marked or unmarked (long or short; stressed or unstressed), a binary code is all that is necessary to transcribe it. . . . It is natural to want to enrich scansion with other kinds of analyses which capture more of the
1666:
was quite popular throughout the 18th century, was probably the earliest influential prosodist to deny that feet play a part in
English verse. Though George R. Stewart used foot terminology to describe verse, his scansion ignored feet, concentrating instead on syntactic groupings. Most modern
123:
Systems of scansion, and the assumptions (often tacit or even subconscious) that underlie them, are so numerous and contradictory that it is often difficult to tell whether differences in scansion indicate opposed metrical theories, conflicting understandings of a line's linguistic character,
1284:
of 'brighter' and 'brightest' are both light, despite the consonants in the latter. (Bridges also mentions "short" as a subset of "light" syllables, but with "seldom any cause to distinguish" between them; he is not found to have scanned any syllables specifically as short.)
746:
problem by both (1) marking multiple levels of syllable stress, and (2) defining the meter of iambic pentameter as a series of 10 syllabic positions, differentiated by rising or falling levels of stress. Numeric stress levels are as described above, and "a" and "B" represent
351:), the more common symbol for either ictus or stress. Though the classical breve is still present, its pairing with slash indicates that it has been relieved of its original "short" meaning. This notation has the advantage that its symbols can be incorporated into words as
381:
for
Knowledge (XXG) articles displaying scansion. It could be utilized as diacritics only using the relatively obscure x above ("aͯ") or times above ("a̽") and therefore typically set in 2 lines (1 for the verse, and 1 for the scansion). This notation has been used by
1021:
He begins his rhythmic scansion with a three-level label for all syllables, but goes much further by elaborating rules describing how contiguous syllables impinge upon each other. The result is a map of the lexical and syntactic character of a line's syllables, which
251:× / × / × / × / × / × / × / (1) The prince | ly pal | ace of | the sun || stood gor | geous to | behold × / × / × / × / × / × / × / (2) On stately pillars builded high | of yellow burnished gold
440:
be both metrical and rhythmic; however, typically it will gravitate toward the rhythmic, as this scansion does. In the second line, "and" is both unstressed and ictic, but the scansion marks it only as unstressed. Although this is now a better representation of the
180:
seldom explicitly state what they are marking in their scansions. For clarity, scansions that mark only ictus and nonictus will be called "metrical scansions", and those which mark stress or other linguistic characteristics will be called "rhythmic scansions".
697:("Foot" markers are used here merely to emphasize the syllables in question. Recall that this metrical scansion does not imply that "of" is necessarily spoken with more emphasis than "sweet", only that these fill ictic and nonictic positions, respectively.)
239:
to be marked: (1) if feet are being marked with a bar (|) then caesurae will be marked with a double bar (||) and will replace the foot marker when they occur in the same place; (2) if feet are not marked then caesurae may be marked with a single bar. The
648:
have been used by prosodists to map out lines of verse; this comes about as close to C.S. Lewis's "all the phonetic facts" as possible, and constitutes (as
Chatman makes explicit), neither the meter nor even the "phonetic facts" of the text, but a
553:'s work did not specifically address verse, but their notation of stress (effectively, Jespersen's turned upside-down) was also influential; Chomsky & Halle posited more than 4 levels of stress, but typically only 4 are used in scansion.
718:
of the 4 positions in question has slightly different constraints that must be fulfilled for the line to be perceived as metrical. In layman's terms, these constraints are most often realized as 4 rising positions; in
Jespersen's notation:
954:
where both
Attridge and Groves (and most prosodists, for that matter) would say that the first syllable is ictic, Tarlinskaja rigidly keeps the ictus in the second position, which is its "average" position across iambic pentameter.
797:
stress: the secondarily stressed syllables of polysyllabic content words; the most strongly stressed syllable in polysyllabic function words (auxiliary verbs, conjunctions, pronouns, prepositions); subsidiary stress in compound
124:
divergent practical goals, or whether they merely constitute a trivial argument over who has the "better ear" for verse. There is even a debate among scholars as to what systems were inherited from the Greek and Roman poetry.
767:
However, Jespersen did not fully integrate his notation (even to the level implied by the scansions above). It remained for the
Russian linguistic-statistical school to systematize it; in their 1968 study of Russian verse,
1017:
To date, Groves has put forward his system only as an explanation of iambic pentameter (or "the English heroic line" as he prefers to call it), though elements may be applicable to other accentual-syllabic meters.
333:) – and repurposes them for "ictic" and "nonictic" (or "stressed" and "unstressed"). Because it quite literally doesn't mean what it says, it is generally out of favor with metrists. This notation has been used by
400:
This metrical scansion does not attempt to show the various rhythmic features that would occur in a competent reading. Nor does it imply that the line should be read monotonously in only 2 registers ("when
541:
introduced his numeric notation in 1900 (in Danish; English translation in 1933). He occasionally added a 5th level, indicating a fully stressed syllable further emphasized by phrasal stress. In 1951
433:× / × / \ / \ / × / When Ajax strives, some rock's vast weight to throw, × / \ / × × × / \ / The line too labours, and the words move slow;
397:× / × / × / × / × / When Ajax strives, some rock's vast weight to throw, × / × / × / × / × / The line too labours, and the words move slow;
134:
of language is infinitely varied; all aspects of language contribute to it: loudness, pitch, duration, pause, syntax, repeated elements, length of phrases, frequency of polysyllabic words... As
153:
syllable between 2 even slightly stronger syllables. These phenomena are called "promotion" and "demotion". Thus a syllable, regardless of its level of stress, that realizes a beat is
235:
may be indicated. In the great majority of verse in English caesurae are not part of the metrical pattern, and generally it is better not to include them in English scansion. If they
1131:
for "weak") have constraints on which syllable statuses can fill them. These rules for matching syllable status and metrical position are called "mapping rules", and strict (e.g.
700:
However, other prosodists hold that, just as the usual 2nd position ictus has been switched to 1st position, so the usual 6th position ictus has been switched to 7th, yielding:
809:
For comparative purposes, the following table is a somewhat simplified rendition of these scansion systems. Attridge (1982) and Groves scan ictus/nonictus on a separate line.
644:
In addition to 4 levels of stress, Trager & Smith posited 4 levels of pitch, and 4 levels of juncture (basically the smoothness of transition between syllables). All 3
377:: This notation is unambiguous (apart from the question of whether "/" indicates stress or ictus), easy to type, and frequently used. This is the notation preferred by the
685:
One of the primary virtues of 4-level scansion is that it helps clarify a surprisingly specific—and surprisingly controversial—debate. Take the rhythmically complex line:
761:(1) 2 4 1 4 3 4 3 4 1 4 When Ajax strives, some rock's vast weight to throw, (2) a B a B a B a B a B
772:
and A. V. Prokhorov used a system which made both stress and ictus explicit simultaneously. This basic approach has subsequently been used to scan English verse by
1061:
A syllable of any of the three main categories that is neither impinged upon by a neighbor, nor specially emphasized in context (e.g. by contrastive accent).
529:
Enid Hamer's notation has also been used by Harvey Gross and Susanne Woods, and it is the graphical basis for Derek Attridge's more complex notation (below).
1167:, in which he developed a novel theory exploring the connections between musical notation and meter in poetry. Although some figures such as T.S. Osmond and
1143:
connected by hyphens; in the second (metrical) line, positions that have switched places and therefore altered their mapping rules are connected by hyphens.
421:"). Its simple function is to show how these lines relate to other lines of verse by marking whether syllables fill ictic or nonictic positions in the line.
201:(|). When feet are thus designated, words that span feet are divided without hyphens, and any punctuation that occurs at a foot break is typically omitted.
948:. This allows her to compare patterns across hundreds or thousands of verse lines statistically, using a consistent matrix of positions. Thus in the line
963:
Attridge's scansion is intended to be broadly applicable, using a few symbols and rules to describe a wide range of English lines consistently, without
764:(1) 1 4 3 4 1 2 1 4 3 4 The line too labours, and the words move slow; (3) a /b \ a / b\a / b \ a /b \ a / b
1094:Ā is "demoted": it cannot dominate or subordinate a neighbor; Ō is "inhibited": it is discouraged, but not wholly prevented, from carrying a beat.
1117:
Specially emphasized in context (e.g. contrastive accent); these syllables may impinge more strongly on their neighbors than regular A, B, O.
2001:
691:
Some prosodists hear "-ions of sweet si-" as a very light iamb, followed by a very heavy iamb, yielding a 2-level metrical scansion of:
675:
used a 5-level notational system of accents ("////" for strongest stress, down to "/" for little stress, and no mark for "no" stress).
498:
Secondary stress (specific definitions vary by prosodist; for some this may simply designate any secondary stress, or it may designate
2343:
2321:
2301:
2264:
2243:
2210:
2189:
2147:
2114:
2035:
1942:
1905:
1884:
1853:
1828:
1803:
1632:
1574:
1500:
1451:
71:
2060:
1009:
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought +s -s -s +s -s -s +s +s -s +s B ǒ B ǒ B ô B o B
378:
1146:
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought A---Ō o—A—o Ō----a----A-o A Ś---w w S w W----s S w S
355:("áccĕntĕd sýllăblĕ"). But strictly speaking it can be seen as sending the mixed message that syllables are being marked as
1425:
Halper, B.. The Scansion of Mediaeval Hebrew Poetry. United States: Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, 1913.
758:
stressed or unstressed positions, where the slash and backslash simply indicate stress levels increasing or decreasing.
1422:
Sinclair, Vanessa. Scansion in Psychoanalysis and Art: The Cut in Creation. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis, 2020.
1948:(reference is to the 1999 Hypertext edition, available online; publisher and ISBN is for the original printed edition)
928:
Tarlinskaja, Attridge, and Groves each exhibit distinct conceptions regarding the dispositions of ictus and nonictus.
664:
1754:
Tarlinskaja 1976, pp 78–83; but see McAuley 1966, pp 28–39 for an earlier and similar, if simplified, discussion.
1078:
Prevented from carrying a beat by a stronger neighbor (except "a", which can be allowed in loose versification).
967:
reducing them to one metrical system. Like Tarlinskaja, he considers that ictus and nonictus (in his notation
1401:
656:˘ ˘ / ˘ ˘ ^ ˘ ^ ˘ / ˘ / ²There was ³never a sound²|²beside the wood²|²but ³one#
127:
To understand any form of scansion, it is necessary to appreciate the difference between meter and rhythm.
2361:
1659:
138:
observes, "f the scansion of a line meant all the phonetic facts, no two lines would scan the same way".
645:
177:
2069:
165:
refers to the position within a line that is experienced as a beat, or to the syllable that fills it.
1928:
678:
Steele and McAuley have used Jespersen's 4-level notation as a secondary method. Wimsatt, Woods, and
660:
1733:
1136:
241:
2252:
2231:
1961:
1376:
936:
791:
stress: the primarily stressed syllable in content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs).
773:
318:
722:
3 2 1 4 1 2 3 4 1 4 When to the sess | ions of sweet si | lent thought
703:/ × × / × × / / × / When to the sess | ions of sweet si | lent thought
694:/ × × / × / × / × / When to the sess | ions of sweet si | lent thought
2339:
2317:
2297:
2260:
2239:
2219:
2206:
2185:
2143:
2110:
2077:
2056:
2048:
2031:
1997:
1938:
1901:
1880:
1849:
1824:
1799:
1628:
1570:
1496:
1447:
1364:
769:
334:
149:
228:, suggesting that if feet constitute any kind of boundary at all, it is a porous one indeed.
2273:
2123:
1177:
1172:
672:
668:
542:
317:: This notation simply retains the classical symbols for "long" and "short" syllables – the
36:
653:
of the text. Here superscript numerals indicate pitch, and "|" and "#" indicate juncture.
537:
4-level scansion is generally a sign of a more linguistically oriented prosodist at work.
436:
If the meanings of all 3 symbols are defined and used strictly enough, a 3-level scansion
368:
338:
330:
322:
204:× / × / × / × / × / When I | consid | er how | my light | is spent
1952:
Chatman, Seymour (1956). "Robert Frost's 'Mowing': An Inquiry into Prosodic Structure".
168:
T.V.F. Brogan issues a stern warning about the temptations of overly detailed scansion:
2332:
2290:
2198:
2135:
2103:
2098:
2073:
2024:
1932:
1914:
1893:
1872:
1692:
1676:
1186:
verse can be grouped in measures or "bars"; and 3) beats form a hierarchy of strength.
1168:
1132:
784:
details, but a simplified version of Groves's rules can provide a first approximation:
777:
538:
387:
194:
141:
112:
92:
24:
1193:
148:
However, marking stress is not the same as marking meter. A perfectly regular line of
115:. Over the years, many systems have been established to mark the scansion of a poem.
91:, is the method or practice of determining and (usually) graphically representing the
2355:
2168:
1918:
1160:
383:
2311:
2044:
2010:
1977:
1973:
1708:
951:∈ – ∪ ⊥ ∪ – ∈ ⊥ ∪ ⊥ When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
550:
546:
364:
348:
198:
1139:) styles of iambic pentameter can be defined by applying different mapping rules.
2285:
2156:
1989:
1647:
430:
instance below, the third symbol (\) designates stressed but demoted syllables:
190:
position, and character of non-ictic syllables is also metrically significant.
99:. In classical poetry, these patterns are quantitative based on the different
352:
135:
1467:
347:: This notation replaces the macron with a slash (or the graphically similar
1541:
19:
2280:(corrected ed.), Washington, DC: American Council of Learned Societies
1934:
English Versification, 1570–1980: A Reference Guide With a Global Appendix
804:: unstressed syllables of polysyllabic words; monosyllabic function words.
780:, and Peter L. Groves, though their systems differ in detail and purpose.
1419:
Maxwell, Ian. Scansion Scanned. Australia: English Teachers' Group, 1967.
104:
1516:
663:
used them (starting with 0 for least stress) as early as 1873. Nor were
248:
have a metrical caesura; examples of style (1) and (2) are shown below:
1965:
1406:
1367:
and John Thompson, though they did not use his full roster of symbols.
711:
707:
232:
111:
placed on each syllable. In both cases, the meter often has a regular
2051:(1972), "English III: The Iambic Pentameter", in Wimsatt, W.K. (ed.),
363:
which would be a nonsensical scansion. This notation has been used by
157:; and a syllable, regardless of its level of stress, that does not is
1026:
in stress; rather than a representation of stress levels themselves.
96:
2257:
Shakespeare's Verse: Iambic Pentameter and the Poet's Idiosyncrasies
2030:, ELS Monograph Series No.74, Victoria, BC: University of Victoria,
1357:
normally light stress raised to greater prominence in dipodic verse
224:
may be interpreted as the swapping of ictic and non-ictic positions
2126:(1961) , "Thoughts on English Prosody", in Hemphill, George (ed.),
326:
18:
1937:(Hypertext ed.), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,
754:
positions in the line; alternatively (3) "a/b\a/b..." represents
2142:(revised ed.), New York: The Ecco Press, pp. 105–128,
682:
have used Chomsky & Halle's notation as a secondary method.
107:. In English poetry, they are based on the different levels of
2313:
Natural Emphasis: English Versification from Chaucer to Dryden
1188:
1920:
Milton's Prosody: With a Chapter on Accentual Verse and Notes
737:
like a 4-syllable "ascending foot" that functions as a unit.
659:
Jespersen was not the first to use numerals to mark stress,
706:
In this case, "-ions of sweet si-" is sometimes taken as a
60:
1821:
Fresh Strange Music: Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Language
1567:
Nineteenth-Century Verse and Technology: Machines of Meter
1446:. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 302.
725:
In this case, everyone is somewhat right: the 4 positions
57:
2163:, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 280–285
2055:, New York: New York University Press, pp. 217–237,
1798:. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 38.
1495:. Bloomington, Indiana: Trafford Publishing. p. 44.
1171:
praised it, others did not view it kindly. For example,
940:
Jespersen) marks the ictic and nonictic positions of the
48:
1260:
Is genuinely long, slows down the reading. For example:
1205:
308:
Nonictus (or unstressed syllable in rhythmic scansion)
1823:. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 10.
1623:
Cheyne, Peter; Hamilton, Andy; Paddison, Max (2019).
1444:
The Princeton Handbook of Poetic Terms: Third Edition
72:
63:
51:
45:
42:
2182:
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
1625:
The Philosophy of Rhythm: Aesthetics, Music, Poetics
680:
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
2138:(1979) , "Notes on Metre", in Gross, Harvey (ed.),
2026:
Strange Music: The Metre of the English Heroic Line
1613:
T.V.F. Brogan: "Scansion" in Brogan (1993), p 1118.
671:the first to use multiple slashes: none other than
39:
2331:
2289:
2102:
2023:
294:Ictus (or stressed syllable in rhythmic scansion)
1923:(Revised final ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press
208:than whether the repeated pattern is imagined as
193:Additionally, many prosodists divide a line into
2338:, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press,
2296:, Hanover, NH: University Press of New England,
1517:"Scansion - Examples and Definition of Scansion"
2105:Vision and Resonance: Two Senses of Poetic Form
1846:Language in Literature: Style and Foregrounding
394:; and as a secondary method by Derek Attridge.
2180:Preminger, Alex; Brogan, T.V.F., eds. (1993),
688:When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
506:(unstressed & ictic) syllables, or both)
8:
2292:The New Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics
392:Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
1409:standard and appear to be used in scansion.
54:
1996:, Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press,
1994:The Poem's Heartbeat: A Manual of Prosody
1900:, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1711:: "Mowing" line 1; quoted and scanned in
1442:Greene, Roland; Cushman, Stephen (2016).
23:An example of scansion over a quote from
1294:
1228:
1028:
812:
555:
448:
267:
2128:Discussions of Poetry: Rhythm and Sound
1712:
1434:
2316:, San Marino: The Huntington Library,
1601:
1341:pause in place of unstressed syllable
733:like a pyrrhic followed by a spondee,
446:deduced from this rhythmic scansion.)
2205:, Athens, OH: Ohio University Press,
2109:, New York: Oxford University Press,
1789:
1787:
1627:. New York: Oxford University Press.
1589:
502:(stressed & nonictic) syllables,
7:
2203:All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing
2130:, Boston: D.C. Heath, pp. 20–25
2082:The Meters of Greek and Latin Poetry
1745:Groves 1998, pp 108, 133–34, 137–38.
1349:pause in place of stressed syllable
197:—the minimal repeated units—using a
2173:Versification: A Short Introduction
2053:Versification: Major Language Types
1772:As scanned by Attridge 1982, p 261.
588:Strongest stress (typically ictic)
638:Least stress (typically nonictic)
255:Common 2- 3- and 4-level notations
14:
2236:English Verse: Theory and History
2175:, Michigan State University Press
1781:As scanned by Groves 1998, p 146.
1546:publicsearch.people.virginia.edu
1542:"UVA Public People Search, U.Va"
1192:
729:like a light then a heavy iamb,
35:
2278:An Outline of English Structure
1848:. Oxon: Routledge. p. 75.
1796:Free Verse: An Essay on Prosody
2226:, Holt, Rinehart & Winston
2224:The Technique of English Verse
1898:Poetic Rhythm: An Introduction
1844:Leech, Geoffrey (2014-07-15).
1819:Hair, Donald S. (2015-09-01).
1363:Stewart's notation influenced
145:are not ordered by the meter.
16:Representation of poetic meter
1:
1877:The Rhythms of English Poetry
1569:. Cham: Springer. p. 5.
2276:; Smith, Henry Lee (1956) ,
2091:The Metres of English Poetry
2015:Poetic Meter and Poetic Form
1984:, New York: Harper & Row
1982:The Sound Pattern of English
1794:Hartman, Charles O. (1980).
1650:: "On His Blindness" line 1.
1249:Syllable carries the stress
1165:The Science of English Verse
1127:for "strong") and nonictus (
651:transcription of one reading
2378:
2334:Shakespeare's Metrical Art
2330:Wright, George T. (1988),
1763:Groves 1998, pp 61–2, 112.
1565:Hall, Jason David (2017).
1374:
1333:heavy unstressed syllable
390:, Robert B. Shaw, and the
2022:Groves, Peter L. (1998),
1150:Other methods of scansion
823:
817:
815:
741:Rhythmi-metrical scansion
2259:, New York: Peter Lang,
2161:Selected Literary Essays
2017:, New York: Random House
1493:A Journey Towards Poetry
1325:light stressed syllable
2310:Woods, Susanne (1984),
2184:, New York: MJF Books,
1402:Miscellaneous Technical
1066:Dominated/Subordinated
2140:The Structure of Verse
175:
27:
2238:, The Hague: Mouton,
1879:, New York: Longman,
1736:: "Sonnet 30" line 1.
1697:An Essay on Criticism
1664:Art of English Poetry
1135:) versus loose (e.g.
170:
95:pattern of a line of
22:
2089:Hamer, Enid (1930),
1681:Ovid's Metamorphoses
1491:Mogan, John (2012).
1317:unstressed syllable
661:Alexander John Ellis
265:prosodist's intent.
2253:Tarlinskaja, Marina
2232:Tarlinskaja, Marina
1734:William Shakespeare
1683:book II, lines 1–2.
1137:William Shakespeare
710:foot followed by a
2220:Stewart, George R.
2078:Rosenmeyer, Thomas
2049:Keyser, Samuel Jay
1377:Generative metrics
1371:Generative metrics
1309:Stressed syllable
1204:. You can help by
1083:Inhibited/Demoted
932:Marina Tarlinskaja
774:Marina Tarlinskaja
379:Poetry WikiProject
89:system of scansion
28:
2274:Trager, George L.
2159:(1969), "Metre",
2124:Jefferson, Thomas
2093:, London: Methuen
2084:, London: Methuen
2070:Halporn, James W.
2003:978-1-55659-281-2
1954:The Kenyon Review
1604:, pp. 30–31.
1399:(⏙) occur in the
1365:John Crowe Ransom
1361:
1360:
1291:George R. Stewart
1288:
1287:
1222:
1221:
1121:
1120:
926:
925:
642:
641:
605:Secondary stress
568:Wimsatt-Beardsley
533:4-level notations
527:
526:
425:3-level notations
345:Slash & breve
335:George Saintsbury
312:
311:
274:Slash & breve
260:2-level notations
150:iambic pentameter
2369:
2348:
2337:
2326:
2306:
2295:
2281:
2269:
2248:
2227:
2215:
2194:
2176:
2164:
2152:
2131:
2119:
2108:
2094:
2085:
2065:
2040:
2029:
2018:
2006:
1985:
1969:
1947:
1924:
1910:
1889:
1860:
1859:
1841:
1835:
1834:
1816:
1810:
1809:
1791:
1782:
1779:
1773:
1770:
1764:
1761:
1755:
1752:
1746:
1743:
1737:
1731:
1725:
1722:
1716:
1706:
1700:
1690:
1684:
1674:
1668:
1657:
1651:
1645:
1639:
1638:
1620:
1614:
1611:
1605:
1599:
1593:
1587:
1581:
1580:
1562:
1556:
1555:
1553:
1552:
1538:
1532:
1531:
1529:
1528:
1521:Literary Devices
1513:
1507:
1506:
1488:
1482:
1481:
1479:
1478:
1464:
1458:
1457:
1439:
1295:
1229:
1217:
1214:
1196:
1189:
1178:Notes on Prosody
1173:Vladimir Nabokov
1155:Musical scansion
1029:
984:identical, only
818:Tarlinskaja 1987
813:
770:A. N. Kolmogorov
673:Thomas Jefferson
669:Monroe Beardsley
622:Tertiary stress
556:
449:
268:
75:
70:
69:
66:
65:
62:
59:
56:
53:
50:
47:
44:
41:
2377:
2376:
2372:
2371:
2370:
2368:
2367:
2366:
2352:
2351:
2346:
2329:
2324:
2309:
2304:
2284:
2272:
2267:
2251:
2246:
2230:
2218:
2213:
2199:Steele, Timothy
2197:
2192:
2179:
2167:
2155:
2150:
2136:Jespersen, Otto
2134:
2122:
2117:
2099:Hollander, John
2097:
2088:
2074:Ostwald, Martin
2068:
2063:
2043:
2038:
2021:
2009:
2004:
1988:
1972:
1951:
1945:
1927:
1915:Bridges, Robert
1913:
1908:
1894:Attridge, Derek
1892:
1887:
1873:Attridge, Derek
1871:
1868:
1863:
1856:
1843:
1842:
1838:
1831:
1818:
1817:
1813:
1806:
1793:
1792:
1785:
1780:
1776:
1771:
1767:
1762:
1758:
1753:
1749:
1744:
1740:
1732:
1728:
1724:Jefferson 1786.
1723:
1719:
1707:
1703:
1691:
1687:
1675:
1671:
1658:
1654:
1646:
1642:
1635:
1622:
1621:
1617:
1612:
1608:
1600:
1596:
1588:
1584:
1577:
1564:
1563:
1559:
1550:
1548:
1540:
1539:
1535:
1526:
1524:
1515:
1514:
1510:
1503:
1490:
1489:
1485:
1476:
1474:
1466:
1465:
1461:
1454:
1441:
1440:
1436:
1432:
1416:
1405:section of the
1384:
1379:
1373:
1293:
1227:
1218:
1212:
1209:
1202:needs expansion
1157:
1152:
1147:
1015:
1013:Peter L. Groves
1010:
975:for "offbeat")
971:for "beat" and
961:
952:
934:
765:
762:
743:
723:
704:
695:
689:
657:
646:suprasegmentals
535:
481:Primary stress
434:
427:
398:
369:Miller Williams
339:Edgar Allan Poe
262:
257:
252:
205:
187:
121:
73:
38:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
2375:
2373:
2365:
2364:
2354:
2353:
2350:
2349:
2344:
2327:
2322:
2307:
2302:
2282:
2270:
2265:
2249:
2244:
2228:
2216:
2211:
2195:
2190:
2177:
2169:McAuley, James
2165:
2153:
2148:
2132:
2120:
2115:
2095:
2086:
2066:
2061:
2041:
2036:
2019:
2007:
2002:
1986:
1970:
1960:(3): 421–438.
1949:
1943:
1929:Brogan, T.V.F.
1925:
1911:
1906:
1890:
1885:
1867:
1864:
1862:
1861:
1854:
1836:
1829:
1811:
1804:
1783:
1774:
1765:
1756:
1747:
1738:
1726:
1717:
1701:
1693:Alexander Pope
1685:
1677:Arthur Golding
1669:
1652:
1640:
1633:
1615:
1606:
1594:
1592:, p. 280.
1582:
1575:
1557:
1533:
1508:
1501:
1483:
1459:
1452:
1433:
1431:
1428:
1427:
1426:
1423:
1420:
1415:
1412:
1411:
1410:
1383:
1380:
1375:Main article:
1372:
1369:
1359:
1358:
1355:
1351:
1350:
1347:
1343:
1342:
1339:
1335:
1334:
1331:
1327:
1326:
1323:
1319:
1318:
1315:
1311:
1310:
1307:
1303:
1302:
1299:
1292:
1289:
1286:
1285:
1281:
1278:
1274:
1273:
1258:
1255:
1251:
1250:
1247:
1244:
1240:
1239:
1236:
1233:
1226:
1225:Robert Bridges
1223:
1220:
1219:
1199:
1197:
1169:Harriet Monroe
1156:
1153:
1151:
1148:
1145:
1133:Alexander Pope
1119:
1118:
1115:
1110:
1105:
1100:
1096:
1095:
1092:
1089:
1087:
1084:
1080:
1079:
1076:
1073:
1070:
1067:
1063:
1062:
1059:
1056:
1053:
1050:
1046:
1045:
1042:
1039:
1036:
1033:
1014:
1011:
990:
960:
959:Derek Attridge
957:
950:
933:
930:
924:
923:
920:
917:
912:
909:
906:
903:
899:
898:
895:
892:
887:
884:
881:
878:
874:
873:
870:
867:
862:
859:
856:
853:
849:
848:
845:
842:
839:
836:
833:
829:
828:
825:
822:
819:
816:
806:
805:
799:
792:
778:Derek Attridge
763:
760:
742:
739:
721:
702:
693:
687:
655:
640:
639:
636:
634:
631:
628:
624:
623:
620:
617:
614:
611:
607:
606:
603:
600:
597:
594:
590:
589:
586:
583:
580:
577:
573:
572:
569:
566:
563:
560:
539:Otto Jespersen
534:
531:
525:
524:
521:
518:
515:
512:
508:
507:
496:
493:
490:
487:
483:
482:
479:
476:
473:
470:
466:
465:
462:
459:
456:
453:
432:
426:
423:
396:
388:Timothy Steele
310:
309:
306:
303:
300:
296:
295:
292:
289:
286:
282:
281:
278:
275:
272:
261:
258:
256:
253:
250:
203:
186:
183:
120:
117:
79:, rhymes with
25:Alexander Pope
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
2374:
2363:
2362:Poetic rhythm
2360:
2359:
2357:
2347:
2345:0-520-07642-7
2341:
2336:
2335:
2328:
2325:
2323:0-87328-085-7
2319:
2315:
2314:
2308:
2305:
2303:0-87451-381-2
2299:
2294:
2293:
2287:
2283:
2279:
2275:
2271:
2268:
2266:0-8204-0344-X
2262:
2258:
2254:
2250:
2247:
2245:90-279-3295-6
2241:
2237:
2233:
2229:
2225:
2221:
2217:
2214:
2212:0-8214-1260-4
2208:
2204:
2200:
2196:
2193:
2191:1-56731-152-0
2187:
2183:
2178:
2174:
2170:
2166:
2162:
2158:
2154:
2151:
2149:0-912946-58-X
2145:
2141:
2137:
2133:
2129:
2125:
2121:
2118:
2116:0-19-501898-2
2112:
2107:
2106:
2100:
2096:
2092:
2087:
2083:
2079:
2075:
2071:
2067:
2064:
2058:
2054:
2050:
2046:
2045:Halle, Morris
2042:
2039:
2037:0-920604-55-2
2033:
2028:
2027:
2020:
2016:
2012:
2011:Fussell, Paul
2008:
2005:
1999:
1995:
1991:
1987:
1983:
1979:
1978:Halle, Morris
1975:
1974:Chomsky, Noam
1971:
1967:
1963:
1959:
1955:
1950:
1946:
1944:0-8018-2541-5
1940:
1936:
1935:
1930:
1926:
1922:
1921:
1916:
1912:
1909:
1907:0-521-42369-4
1903:
1899:
1895:
1891:
1888:
1886:0-582-55105-6
1882:
1878:
1874:
1870:
1869:
1865:
1857:
1855:9780582051096
1851:
1847:
1840:
1837:
1832:
1830:9780773545939
1826:
1822:
1815:
1812:
1807:
1805:9781400855384
1801:
1797:
1790:
1788:
1784:
1778:
1775:
1769:
1766:
1760:
1757:
1751:
1748:
1742:
1739:
1735:
1730:
1727:
1721:
1718:
1715:, p. 427
1714:
1710:
1705:
1702:
1699:lines 370-71.
1698:
1694:
1689:
1686:
1682:
1678:
1673:
1670:
1665:
1661:
1660:Edward Bysshe
1656:
1653:
1649:
1644:
1641:
1636:
1634:9780199347773
1630:
1626:
1619:
1616:
1610:
1607:
1603:
1598:
1595:
1591:
1586:
1583:
1578:
1576:9783319535012
1572:
1568:
1561:
1558:
1547:
1543:
1537:
1534:
1522:
1518:
1512:
1509:
1504:
1502:9781466920514
1498:
1494:
1487:
1484:
1473:
1472:mason.gmu.edu
1469:
1463:
1460:
1455:
1453:9780691171999
1449:
1445:
1438:
1435:
1429:
1424:
1421:
1418:
1417:
1413:
1408:
1404:
1403:
1398:
1394:
1390:
1387:The metrical
1386:
1385:
1382:Other symbols
1381:
1378:
1370:
1368:
1366:
1356:
1353:
1352:
1348:
1345:
1344:
1340:
1337:
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1332:
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1320:
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1297:
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1290:
1282:
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1276:
1275:
1271:
1267:
1263:
1259:
1256:
1253:
1252:
1248:
1245:
1242:
1241:
1237:
1235:Syllable Type
1234:
1231:
1230:
1224:
1216:
1207:
1203:
1200:This section
1198:
1195:
1191:
1190:
1187:
1183:
1180:
1179:
1174:
1170:
1166:
1162:
1161:Sidney Lanier
1154:
1149:
1144:
1140:
1138:
1134:
1130:
1126:
1116:
1114:
1111:
1109:
1106:
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1097:
1093:
1090:
1088:
1085:
1082:
1081:
1077:
1074:
1071:
1068:
1065:
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1057:
1054:
1051:
1048:
1047:
1043:
1040:
1037:
1034:
1031:
1030:
1027:
1025:
1019:
1012:
1008:
1004:
1001:
997:
993:
989:
987:
983:
982:theoretically
978:
974:
970:
966:
958:
956:
949:
947:
944:, not of the
943:
938:
931:
929:
921:
918:
916:
913:
910:
907:
904:
901:
900:
896:
893:
891:
888:
885:
882:
879:
876:
875:
871:
868:
866:
863:
860:
857:
854:
851:
850:
846:
843:
840:
837:
834:
831:
830:
826:
824:Attridge 1995
820:
814:
811:
810:
803:
800:
796:
793:
790:
787:
786:
785:
781:
779:
775:
771:
759:
757:
753:
749:
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738:
736:
732:
728:
720:
717:
713:
709:
701:
698:
692:
686:
683:
681:
676:
674:
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637:
635:
632:
629:
626:
625:
621:
618:
615:
612:
609:
608:
604:
601:
598:
595:
592:
591:
587:
584:
581:
578:
575:
574:
570:
567:
565:Chomsky-Halle
564:
561:
558:
557:
554:
552:
548:
544:
540:
532:
530:
522:
519:
516:
513:
510:
509:
505:
501:
497:
494:
491:
488:
485:
484:
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477:
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471:
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467:
463:
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457:
454:
451:
450:
447:
444:
439:
431:
424:
422:
420:
416:
412:
408:
404:
395:
393:
389:
385:
384:James McAuley
380:
376:
375:Slash & x
372:
370:
366:
362:
358:
354:
350:
346:
342:
340:
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328:
324:
320:
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298:
297:
293:
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287:
284:
283:
279:
277:Slash & x
276:
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254:
249:
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184:
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146:
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128:
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118:
116:
114:
110:
106:
102:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
78:
77:
68:
32:
26:
21:
2333:
2312:
2291:
2286:Turco, Lewis
2277:
2256:
2235:
2223:
2202:
2181:
2172:
2160:
2139:
2127:
2104:
2090:
2081:
2062:08147-9155-7
2052:
2025:
2014:
1993:
1990:Corn, Alfred
1981:
1957:
1953:
1933:
1919:
1897:
1876:
1845:
1839:
1820:
1814:
1795:
1777:
1768:
1759:
1750:
1741:
1729:
1720:
1713:Chatman 1956
1709:Robert Frost
1704:
1696:
1688:
1680:
1672:
1663:
1655:
1643:
1624:
1618:
1609:
1597:
1585:
1566:
1560:
1549:. Retrieved
1545:
1536:
1525:. Retrieved
1523:. 2016-01-15
1520:
1511:
1492:
1486:
1475:. Retrieved
1471:
1462:
1443:
1437:
1414:Bibliography
1400:
1396:
1392:
1388:
1362:
1269:
1265:
1261:
1210:
1206:adding to it
1201:
1184:
1176:
1164:
1158:
1141:
1128:
1124:
1122:
1112:
1107:
1102:
1049:Independent
1023:
1020:
1016:
1006:
1002:
999:
995:
991:
988:different).
985:
981:
976:
972:
968:
964:
962:
953:
945:
941:
935:
927:
914:
889:
864:
808:
807:
801:
794:
788:
782:
766:
755:
751:
747:
744:
734:
730:
726:
724:
715:
705:
699:
696:
690:
684:
679:
677:
665:W.K. Wimsatt
658:
650:
643:
562:Trager-Smith
536:
528:
503:
499:
442:
437:
435:
428:
418:
414:
410:
406:
402:
399:
391:
374:
373:
365:Paul Fussell
360:
356:
349:acute accent
344:
343:
314:
313:
263:
245:
236:
230:
225:
221:
217:
213:
209:
206:
199:vertical bar
192:
188:
176:
171:
167:
162:
158:
154:
147:
140:
131:
129:
126:
122:
108:
100:
88:
84:
80:
30:
29:
2157:Lewis, C.S.
1648:John Milton
1602:Steele 1999
1182:the ears."
986:graphically
937:Tarlinskaja
902:Unstressed
523:Unstressed
231:Finally, a
226:across feet
1866:References
1590:Lewis 1969
1551:2021-06-03
1527:2021-06-03
1477:2021-06-03
1468:"Scansion"
1163:published
998:x x
877:Secondary
802:Unstressed
756:relatively
353:diacritics
244:typically
242:fourteener
178:Prosodists
136:C.S. Lewis
1931:(1999) ,
1397:pentaseme
1393:tetraseme
1213:June 2008
1159:In 1880,
1099:Accented
795:Secondary
559:Jespersen
315:Classical
271:Classical
2356:Category
2288:(1986),
2255:(1987),
2234:(1976),
2222:(1930),
2201:(1999),
2171:(1966),
2101:(1975),
2080:(1963),
2013:(1965),
1992:(2008),
1980:(1968),
1917:(1921),
1896:(1995),
1875:(1982),
1662:, whose
1395:(⏘) and
1246:Stressed
965:a priori
852:Primary
844:Nonictic
835:Nonictic
821:Attridge
504:promoted
357:stressed
185:Elements
159:nonictic
119:Overview
105:syllable
103:of each
93:metrical
87:), or a
83:; verb:
31:Scansion
1966:4333688
1407:Unicode
1389:triseme
1175:in his
1123:Ictus (
1024:results
994:x x
827:Groves
789:Primary
712:spondee
708:pyrrhic
547:Chomsky
500:demoted
407:STRIVES
233:caesura
101:lengths
85:to scan
81:mansion
2342:
2320:
2300:
2263:
2242:
2209:
2188:
2146:
2113:
2059:
2034:
2000:
1964:
1941:
1904:
1883:
1852:
1827:
1802:
1631:
1573:
1499:
1450:
1301:Notes
1298:Symbol
1266:bright
1238:Notes
1232:Symbol
1044:Notes
1032:Status
1005:x
977:always
798:words.
752:strong
667:&
571:Notes
549:&
543:Trager
511:x or ×
464:Notes
455:Wright
443:rhythm
415:WEIGHT
411:ROCK'S
331:brevis
325:) and
323:longum
319:macron
305:x or ×
280:Notes
132:rhythm
109:stress
1962:JSTOR
1430:Notes
1391:(⏗),
1280:Light
1262:broad
1257:Heavy
1038:Minor
1035:Major
942:meter
847:1998
841:Ictic
832:Ictic
551:Halle
458:Turco
452:Hamer
419:THROW
413:vast
409:some
361:short
327:breve
216:, or
163:Ictus
155:ictic
142:Meter
97:verse
76:-shən
2340:ISBN
2318:ISBN
2298:ISBN
2261:ISBN
2240:ISBN
2207:ISBN
2186:ISBN
2144:ISBN
2111:ISBN
2057:ISBN
2032:ISBN
1998:ISBN
1939:ISBN
1902:ISBN
1881:ISBN
1850:ISBN
1825:ISBN
1800:ISBN
1629:ISBN
1571:ISBN
1497:ISBN
1448:ISBN
1270:down
1041:Weak
946:line
838:1982
750:and
748:weak
716:each
461:Corn
405:jax
367:and
337:and
329:(or
321:(or
246:does
222:××//
195:feet
130:The
113:foot
74:SKAN
1208:.
735:and
731:and
727:are
585:///
438:can
417:to
359:or
237:are
218:/××
214:×/×
210:××/
2358::
2076:;
2072:;
2047:;
1976:;
1958:18
1956:.
1786:^
1695::
1679::
1544:.
1519:.
1470:.
1272:.
1268:,
1264:,
922:O
911:-s
897:B
872:A
861:+s
776:,
602://
386:,
371:.
341:.
212:,
161:.
1968:.
1858:.
1833:.
1808:.
1637:.
1579:.
1554:.
1530:.
1505:.
1480:.
1456:.
1354:L
1346:P
1338:p
1330:O
1322:l
1314:o
1306:S
1277:˘
1254:–
1243:^
1215:)
1211:(
1129:w
1125:S
1113:O
1108:B
1103:A
1091:Ō
1086:Ā
1075:o
1072:b
1069:a
1058:O
1055:B
1052:A
1007:/
1003:/
1000:/
996:/
992:/
973:o
969:B
919:x
915:x
908:∪
905:–
894:\
890:\
886:s
883:∋
880:⊤
869:/
865:/
858:∈
855:⊥
633:4
630:˘
627:1
619:/
616:3
613:\
610:2
599:2
596:^
593:3
582:1
579:/
576:4
520:1
517:˘
514:˘
495:2
492:•
489:\
486:\
478:3
475:/
472:/
469:/
403:A
302:˘
299:˘
291:/
288:/
285:–
67:/
64:n
61:ə
58:ʃ
55:.
52:n
49:æ
46:k
43:s
40:ˈ
37:/
33:(
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