How does scansion show stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry?
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Scansion is the analysis and visual representation of a poem's metrical pattern, used to reveal the mechanics of its rhythm. In English prosody, graphic scansion is the most common method for identifying stressed and unstressed syllables.1
Graphic Scansion Symbols
Graphic scansion employs specific symbols to mark the natural rhythm of speech within a poem:
- Stressed syllables: Represented by a macron (—) or an acute accent (´).1
- Unstressed syllables: Represented by a breve (˘).1
- Foot divisions: Indicated by a vertical line (|) to separate the smallest metrical units.12
- Caesura: A double vertical line (‖) is used to show a pause within a line.1
By marking these accents, readers can determine the metre of a poem—the predominant type and number of feet—which helps convey the poem's meaning. While graphic scansion provides a useful framework, other methods like musical or acoustic scansion offer more complex ways to record subtle tonal and accentual variations.12