Alliteration
From Wikinfo
At one time, a feature of greater importance in poetry even than rhyme. Eventually, it fell into disuse. Rhyme being regarded as a more advanced and sophisticated vehicle for expression.
Recent trends in poetry and verse have, however, endorsed a revival of this very ancient device and much modern verse shows a tendency to employ it in preference to rhyme.
Generally speaking, it consists in a basic alignment of word sounds as for e.g:
'Better bolstered buildings to consensus can conform.'
or
These examples from: 'Inversnaid' by Gerard Manley Hopkins:
' This darksome burn horseback brown'
'In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam'
It is consonants, rather than vowels that are used as a means for alliteration.
Alliteration is a literary technique in which successive words (more strictly, stressed syllables) begin with the same consonant sound. Alliteration is a frequent tool of poetry but it is also common in prose, particularly short phrases. In the English language, alliteration can be discerned in Old English poetry, and was a central component thereof. Alliterative verse in one form or another is shared by all of the older Germanic languages.
Assonance is a kind of alliteration that uses repeated initial vowel sounds.
Well-known examples of alliteration are tongue-twisters such as "Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran" or "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers".
Alliteration makes for very catchy phrases and is frequently used in modern news headlines, corporate names, literary titles, advertising, buzzwords, and nursery rhymes. Some examples:
- back to the basics
- balance the books
- Big Ben
- boom or bust
- Coca-Cola
- Donald Duck
- Mickey Mouse
- Monday morning
- pay the price
- peer-to-peer
- it takes two to tango
External Link
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Alliteration" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliteration
