Acatalectic
Encyclopedia
An acatalectic line of verse is one having the metrically complete number of syllables in the final foot
. When talking about poetry written in English the term is arguably of limited significance or utility, at least by comparison to its antonym, catalectic
, for the simple reason that acatalexis is considered to be the "usual case" in the large majority of metrical contexts and therefore explicit reference to it proves almost universally superfluous.
For example, to describe Shakespeare's sonnets as having been written in iambic pentameter
acatalectic would be factually accurate, but in practice would be absurd, for the simple reason that iambic pentameter is presumed to be acatalectic unless otherwise specified as being subject to catalexis. However, in very rare contexts where catalexis might be considered probable (e.g., in English trochaic tetrameter
, or in differentiating acatalectic verses from surrounding catalectic ones), explicit expression of the verse's metrical completeness may be achieved by using the term. When talking about poems published in other languages than English the term might prove itself more useful.
Foot (prosody)
The foot is the basic metrical unit that generates a line of verse in most Western traditions of poetry, including English accentual-syllabic verse and the quantitative meter of classical ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The unit is composed of syllables, the number of which is limited, with a few...
. When talking about poetry written in English the term is arguably of limited significance or utility, at least by comparison to its antonym, catalectic
Catalectic
A catalectic line is a metrically incomplete line of verse, lacking a syllable at the end or ending with an incomplete foot. One form of catalexis is headlessness, where the unstressed syllable is dropped from the beginning of the line....
, for the simple reason that acatalexis is considered to be the "usual case" in the large majority of metrical contexts and therefore explicit reference to it proves almost universally superfluous.
For example, to describe Shakespeare's sonnets as having been written in iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet"...
acatalectic would be factually accurate, but in practice would be absurd, for the simple reason that iambic pentameter is presumed to be acatalectic unless otherwise specified as being subject to catalexis. However, in very rare contexts where catalexis might be considered probable (e.g., in English trochaic tetrameter
Tetrameter
Tetrameter: [ti'tramitə]; te·tram·e·ter; a verse of four measuresOrigin: early 17th century : from late Latin tetrametrus, originally neuter from Greek tetrametros 'having four measures,' from tetra- 'four' + metron 'measure'....
, or in differentiating acatalectic verses from surrounding catalectic ones), explicit expression of the verse's metrical completeness may be achieved by using the term. When talking about poems published in other languages than English the term might prove itself more useful.