Quick English question

[taimatsu]

Re. William Meredith's poem 'The Illiterate', is there a technical term for the use of repeated words instead of rhymes? I can't think of it and can't find the right terms with which to hunt for it. I'm writing an analysis of the poem for this evening, so please don't make any other detailed comments on the poem till after, erm, 7.30pm, so I'm not tempted to copy your brilliant ideas - if you do know the term I'm after, though, please let me know ASAP. :)

Update: undyingking came up trumps - it's identity rhyme (and a touch of ambiguous rhyme, too) as explained on this page. Ah, I do like it when LJ does my homework... :)

Comments

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

Or this ONE (http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/words_articles/right_word4_fixed_forms.htm).

Double dactyl was the term I was thinking of, above -but it may not be what you mean?

[taimatsu]

No, a dactyl would be more about metre, surely?

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

Absolutely no idea :} I have a reasonable handle on the idea of terza rima and that's about it.

However, with luck the pages linked might be more useful than I?

[taimatsu]

A dactyl is a type of metrical foot, as Robert notes below. The term I was after was 'identity rhyme' - rhyme using exactly the same words.

[ifimust.livejournal.com]

Ahh, see, it is a term I'd not heard before - but the pun is still horrible. ;)

[borusa.livejournal.com]

A dactyl is ON-off-off, apparently.

This makes Godzilla a terror dactyl.

[flick.livejournal.com]

[groans]

[taimatsu]

You are Bad and Wrong. *grin*

[imc.livejournal.com]

…especially since "god-ZILL-a" is an amphibrach!

[taimatsu]

Absolutely. :)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

A double dactyl is a comic verse form made up of two quatrains, each line being made up of two dactyls except the fourth and eighth which are choriambs (and must rhyme with each other). The first line is generally a repetitious bit of nonsense, and the second line is someone's name.

I won't invent an example here because they're rather hard to construct ;-)