prosodies

Noun

prosody (countable and uncountable, plural prosodies)

1. The study of rhythm, intonation, stress, and related attributes in speech.
   • An accurate acquaintance with the Prosody and Metres of the Greek Language is so necessary an accompaniment of true scholarship, that any attempt to advocate its claims to the notice of the student would be entirely superfluous.1838, Charles Anthon, A System of Greek Prosody and Metre, Harper & Brothers, page v
2. The study of poetic meter; the patterns of sounds and rhythms in verse.
   • But the system of prosody in Samson plainly forbids extrametrical syllables in the midst of the line, and there is certainly no other example.1894, Robert Bridges, Milton's Prosody, Oxford University Press, page 30