A Study of Meter in Persian Folk Poems Based on the Metrical Stress Theory

This article, following the Metrical Stress Theory of Bruce Hayes, studies the nature of meter in Persian folk poems. The accentual-syllabic meter of these poems is formed by the repetition of accents in equal syllabic distances. Metrical Stress Theory is a branch of generative phonology that has the capability of determining the poem’s rhythm and displaying them in tree diagrams. This article after explaining the Metrical Stress Theory, represents the rhythmical hierarchy of Persian folk poems - lines, half-lines, feet - in tree diagrams and presents the rules for accentual-syllabic meter in folk poems.