Problems with universal metrics

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the problem of universal metrics developed with English sonnets by analyzing meter in Japanese haiku and Chinese recent-style verse.1 Following Martin (2007), In this study, a haiku is defined as a traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines, typically with seventeen metrical units per verse arranged in a pattern of five, seven, and five units per line. The data reveals that a system with metrical prominence cannot be applied to Chinese and Japanese metrical verse since linguistic prominence is missing in both languages. The only common feature shared among the metrical systems of the three languages is the existence of a contrast between two types of syllables that belong to opposite classes. However, this contrast only applies in limited situations in the Japanese case. Lastly, instead of a universal metrical structure, the data suggests that the metrical structure in the three languages should be distinguished.