Trochee

File:Trochee (PSF).png

Trochaic tetrameter in Macbeth

In poetic metre, a trochee (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one, in qualitative meter, as found in English, and in modern linguistics; or in quantitative meter, as found in Latin and Ancient Greek, a heavy syllable followed by a light one (also described as a long syllable followed by a short one).<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref> In this respect, a trochee is the reverse of an iamb. Thus the Latin word Template:Langx, because of its short-long rhythm, in Latin metrical studies is considered to be an iamb, but since it is stressed on the first syllable, in modern linguistics it is considered to be a trochee.

The adjective form is trochaic. The English word trochee is itself trochaic since it is composed of the stressed syllable Template:IPAc-en followed by the unstressed syllable Template:IPAc-en.

Another name formerly used for a trochee was a choree (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) or choreus.

Etymology

Trochee comes from French {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, adapted from Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, originally from the Greek Template:Langx,<ref>Template:Usurped, MyEtymology (retrieved 23 July 2015)</ref> from the phrase Template:Langx;<ref>Trochee, Etymology Online (retrieved 23 July 2015)</ref> it is connected with the word Template:Langx. The less-often used word choree comes from Template:Langx; both convey the "rolling" rhythm of this metrical foot. The phrase was adapted into English in the late 16th century.

There was a well-established ancient tradition that trochaic rhythm is faster than iambic.<ref name=DS>A.M. Devine, Laurence Stephens, The Prosody of Greek Speech, p. 116.</ref> When used in drama it is often associated with lively situations. One ancient commentator notes that it was named from the metaphor of people running ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and the Roman metrician Template:Langr notes that it was named from its running and speed ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref name=DS />

Examples

Trochaic meter is sometimes seen among the works of William Shakespeare:

Template:Poem quote<ref>The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. London: Abbey Library/Cresta House, 1977.</ref>

Perhaps owing to its simplicity, though, trochaic meter is fairly common in nursery rhymes:

Trochaic verse is also well known in Latin poetry, especially of the medieval period. Since the stress never falls on the final syllable in Medieval Latin, the language is ideal for trochaic verse. The {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} of the Requiem mass is an example:

The Finnish national epic, Template:Langx, like much old Finnish poetry, is written in a variation of trochaic tetrameter.

Trochaic metre is popular in Polish and Czech literatures.<ref>Template:Langr, Template:Langr, Template:Langr, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Prague 1997, p. 339–340 Template:In lang.</ref> Template:Langr's poem Edison is written in trochaic hexameter.<ref>Template:Langr, Template:Langr, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 1-2/2001, p. 51 Template:In lang.</ref>

Latin

Template:See In Greek and Latin, the syllabic structure deals with long and short syllables, rather than accented and unaccented. Trochaic meter was rarely used by the Latin poets in the classical period, except in certain passages of the tragedies and the comedies.<ref>Gustavus Fischer, "Prosody", Etymology and an introduction to syntax (Latin Grammar, Volume 1), J. W. Schermerhorn (1876) p. 395.</ref> The two main metres used in comedy were the trochaic septenarius and trochaic octonarius.

See also

• Monometer
• Prosody (Latin)
• Substitution (poetry), Trochaic substitution
• Prosody (Greek)
• Trochaic septenarius

References

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