Teaching the Art of Poetry |
English is an accentual-syllabic language and it is no
exaggeration to
say that it is a language with a built-in pulse. All multi-syllabic
English words have an accent; long ones have a primary and a secondary
accent. As for monosyllables, one cannot go through three of them
without accenting at least one of them to some degree (unless, of
course, one speaks in a lifeless monotone). English abhors a rhythmic
vacuum. To say “for the sake of our dogs” is to voice a readily
discernible accentual texture, as “sake” and “dogs” seem relatively
strong in relation to their companion words. The syllables we speak are
rising and falling, falling and rising, always surging and lolling on
the throbbing tide of rhythm. To the force of dictionary defined
accent, there is always being added the pressure of human meaning. |
