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isosyllabism

isosyllabism

9.9
A way of writing poems in which lines all have the same number of syllables
  • noun
  • /ˌaɪsəˈsɪləˌbɪzəm/
  • Literature
: isosilabismo
  • Classical French poetry often exhibits isosyllabism, requiring an exact count of syllables per line.

Examples

  • Some languages, like Serbian, favor isosyllabism in their traditional verse forms.

  • The poet abandoned isosyllabism to experiment with more irregular, free verse structures.

  • The poem's structure exemplifies isosyllabism beautifully.

  • Many poets prefer isosyllabism for its rhythmic quality.

  • Classical French poetry often exhibits isosyllabism, requiring an exact count of syllables per line.

  • Some languages, like Serbian, favor isosyllabism in their traditional verse forms.

  • Many poets prefer isosyllabism for its rhythmic quality.

Synonyms

stichic verse
vsisosyllabism
  • Literature
9.9

Poetry that uses lines of the same length and rhythm without stanzas

focuses specifically on equal syllable counts per line rather than general meter

Surface Forms

isosyllabism singular
isosyllabisms plural

Morphology

isosyllabism = isosyllabic (semi-transparent) = iso + syllab + ism

The base 'isosyllabic' is clear, but the addition of '-ism' to denote a practice or quality may not be immediately obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Isosyllabism comes from the Greek parts iso- meaning 'equal' and syllable meaning 'syllable'. So it is an easy way to remember that isosyllabism means writing poem lines that all have the same number of syllables.