| Bridges' Prosody Of Accentual Verse |
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Information AboutBridges' Prosody Of Accentual Verse |
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TERMS AND NOTATION Bridges classifies the following types of syllable (alternative symbols have been added for browsers that do not display symbols correctly): Bridges also has a shorter version of the 'Light' symbol for 'very short' syllables. We can use ⌵ ('.'). RULES Bridges lists six "rules" for accentual verse. He states (p.89) "These 'laws' are merely the tabulation of what my ear finds in English stressed or accentual verse". The rules are as follows: # the stress governs the rhythm # the stresses must all be true speech-stresses # a stress has more carrying power over the syllable next to it, than it has over a syllable removed from it by an intervening syllable # stress has a peculiarly strong attraction towards verbal unity and for its own proclitics and enclitics # a stress will not carry a heavy syllable which is removed from it by another syllable # a stress will not carry more than one heavy or two light syllables on the same side of it Stress governs rhythm True speech-stresses A stress carries the syllable next to it Stress is attracted to verbal unity A stress will not carry a distant heavy syllable Here Bridges cites several lines from Shelley which violate this rule, such as: :Each and all like ministering angels were. A stress can carry at most one heavy or two light syllables on a given side LIST OF COMMON STRESS UNITS Bridges lists the common ''stress units'' or 'feet'': |
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