The thesis focuses on the origins and development of syllabo-tonic versification in different verse systems. It explores the ways in which it came into being and the factors, both linguistic and non-linguistic, that influenced its development. It analyses verse systems both comparatively and diachronically, touching in specific chapters on the development of the phonetic and accentual systems of languages and highlighting their relevance to verse structure. Finally, several typologies of syllabo-tonic versification are elaborated, presenting the findings in a systematic way.
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