Diaeresis
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Definition: From prosody, the term diaeresis comes up when reading Greek and Latin poetry, including the Greek tragedies, the epics of Homer, and the Aeneid, by Vergil. A diaeresis is a pause between one metron and the next, at the end of a word, generally marked with two vertical lines. Diaeresis is distinguished from a caesura (both of which mark word ends) by where it lies in the line of poetry. The diaeresis comes between feet; whereas the caesura comes within a metrical foot and, unlike a caesura, a diaeresis doesn't necessarily represent a pause in the sense of the words.
From the Greek diairein = to divide or tear away.
Pronunciation: di-aer'-e-sis • (noun)
Examples: In the opening line of Vergil's Aeneid, the diaeresis precedes the last two metrical feet: primus ab oris; whereas the caesura comes after cano:
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
(Arms and the man I sing, the first who from the Trojan shore)
Other spellings: Dieresis
Related Resources:
Tragedy - Setting the Stage
Terminology for Drama (especially tragedy)
Elsewhere on the Web:
Introduction to the Dacyllic Hexameter
4. Caesura and Diaeresis
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