sprung rhythm: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (Specialized Literary/Linguistic Term)Academic/Literary
Quick answer
What does “sprung rhythm” mean?
A poetic meter in which the number of stressed syllables in a line is fixed, but the number of unstressed syllables can vary, creating a rhythm that mimics natural speech.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A poetic meter in which the number of stressed syllables in a line is fixed, but the number of unstressed syllables can vary, creating a rhythm that mimics natural speech.
A metrical system developed by the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, characterized by feet that begin with a stressed syllable, with variable unstressed syllables following. It contrasts with traditional accentual-syllabic verse by allowing greater rhythmic flexibility and expressive emphasis.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. The term originated with a British poet (Hopkins) and is a standard part of the literary lexicon in both varieties.
Connotations
Connotes technical literary analysis, innovation in poetic form, and often a connection to religious or ecstatic expression (due to Hopkins's themes).
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties, confined to literary studies.
Grammar
How to Use “sprung rhythm” in a Sentence
Sprung rhythm is used by X.The poem is written in sprung rhythm.X analyzed the use of sprung rhythm in Y.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sprung rhythm” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The tutorial focused on the intricacies of sprung rhythm in Hopkins's 'The Windhover'.
- His essay argued that sprung rhythm creates a distinctive aural texture.
American English
- The professor's lecture defined sprung rhythm as a radical departure from Victorian metrical norms.
- Critics often debate the theological implications of Hopkins's sprung rhythm.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Essential term in prosody and the study of Victorian or Modernist poetry. Used in essays, theses, and critical analyses.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
Used precisely in literary criticism and poetic theory to describe a specific metrical innovation.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sprung rhythm”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “sprung rhythm”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sprung rhythm”
- Confusing it with 'free verse' (sprung rhythm has a fixed number of stresses, free verse may not).
- Using it to describe any irregular rhythm in poetry.
- Mispronouncing 'sprung' to rhyme with 'lung' (/sprʊŋ/) instead of 'rung' (/sprʌŋ/).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The Victorian poet and Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889) developed and named the system, though he claimed to find its roots in older English poetry and folk song.
No. Free verse has no fixed metrical pattern. Sprung rhythm has a fixed number of stresses per line, making it a type of accentual meter, but it allows great freedom in the number and placement of unstressed syllables.
Yes, Hopkins's own poems are the primary examples. 'The Windhover', 'Pied Beauty', and 'God's Grandeur' are famous sonnets written in sprung rhythm.
Hopkins used 'sprung' to suggest the rhythm's sudden, jerking, or elastic quality, like a released spring. Each foot begins with a stress that 'springs' forward, followed by a slack of unstressed syllables.
A poetic meter in which the number of stressed syllables in a line is fixed, but the number of unstressed syllables can vary, creating a rhythm that mimics natural speech.
Sprung rhythm is usually academic/literary in register.
Sprung rhythm: in British English it is pronounced /ˌsprʌŋ ˈrɪð.əm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌsprʌŋ ˈrɪð.əm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a SPRING (sprung) that can stretch to different lengths between its fixed coils (the stressed syllables).
Conceptual Metaphor
METER IS MUSICAL RHYTHM / LANGUAGE IS A LIVING ORGANISM (Hopkins saw it as a more 'natural' form of speech).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary defining feature of sprung rhythm?