12 Dec 2000

Dr. Nigel Fabb (University of Strathclyde)

This paper presents a new theory of metrical structure in verse, developed from the account of stress and accent in Idsardi (1992). Metrical elements (syllables and morae) are grouped into feet by the insertion of right or left parentheses. A foot is constituted by the metrical elements to the right of a left parenthesis or to the left of a right parenthesis. A foot is thus defined by a single parenthesis, not by a matched pair of parentheses, as in other metrical theories. Parentheses are inserted into the verse line by special rules belonging to a small, narrowly restricted set. The most important rules insert parentheses iteratively from one end of the line, skipping over two or three elements at a time. Different footings - ie., different meters - result from different choices of parenthesis insertion rules, supplemented by a small number of well-formedness conditions. The central insight of the theory is that meters are based on rudimentary counting algorithms, rather than on template matching. The theory is illustrated and defended by showing that it accounts correctly for metrical verse of all kinds, exemplified by English iambic pentameter, French alexandrin, classical hexameter, as well as Welsh and Irish syllable counting verse.

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