In poetry Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning. Poetry may be written independently, as discrete poems, or may occur in conjunction with other arts, as in poetic drama, hymns, lyrics, or prose poetry. It is published in dedicated magazines (, alliteration refers to repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to the poem's meter In poetry, the meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse meter, or a certain set of meters alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody. (Within linguistics, "Prosody" is used in a more general sense, are stressed as if they occurred at the beginning of a word, as in James Thomson's verse "Come…dragging the lazy languid Line along" ^[1].

Alliteration is usually distinguished from the mere repetition of the same sound in positions other than the beginning of each word — whether a consonant, as in "some mammals are clammy" (consonance Consonance is a stylistic device, most commonly used in poetry and songs, characterized by the repetition of the same consonant two or more times in short succession, as in "pitter patter" or in "all mammals named Sam are clammy") or a vowel, as in "yellow wedding bells" (assonance Assonance is refrain of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and together with alliteration and consonance serves as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the /uː/ is repeated within the sentence and is assonant); but the term is sometimes used in these broader senses. Alliteration may also include the use of different consonants with similar properties (labials Labial consonants are consonants in which one or both lips are the active articulator. This precludes linguolabials, in which the tip of the tongue reaches for the posterior side of the upper lip and which are considered coronals. The two by far most common labials are bilabials, articulated using both lips, and labiodentals, articulated with the, dentals In linguistics, a dental consonant or dental is a consonant that is articulated with the tongue against the upper teeth, such as /t/, /d/, /n/, and /l/ in some languages. Dentals are primarily distinguished from sounds in which contact is made with the tongue and the gum ridge, as in English , due to the acoustic similarity of the sounds and the, etc.) ^[2] or even the unwritten glottal stop The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English the feature is represented for example by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or ʻokina in Hawaiʻi among those attempting an authentic pronunciation of that name that precedes virtually every word-initial vowel in the English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into South-East Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of, as in the phrase "Apt alliteration's artful aid" (despite the unique pronunciation of the "a" in each word) ^[3].

Alliteration is commonly used in many languages, especially in poetry. Alliterative verse In prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic languages. In various forms, it is widely found in the was an important ingredient of poetry in Old English Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. What survives through writing represents primarily the literary register of Anglo-Saxon and other old Germanic languages The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a like Old High German The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of Old High German proper to 750 for this reason. There, Old Norse Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300, and Old Saxon Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in Denmark by Saxon peoples. It is close enough to Old Anglo-Frisian that it partially participates in the. On the other hand, its accidental occurrence is often viewed as a defect.

Literature and poetry

Relative formal accessibility of alliteration makes it one of the most commonly used literary tools in English English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into South-East Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria. Following the economic, political, military, scientific, cultural, and colonial influence of Great Britain and the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of, tracing its origins to Old English and its ancestral languages. Old Germanic poetry was mostly in the form of alliterative verse that relied heavily on consonance and assonance rather than rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes. An example of Old English alliterative verse In prosody, alliterative verse is a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. The most commonly studied traditions of alliterative verse are those found in the oldest literature of many Germanic languages. In various forms, it is widely found in the, is this passage from the famous poem Beowulf Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. It survives in a single manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. Its composition by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet is dated between the 8th and, lines 1162-1165:^[4]

Statistical analysis of alliteration use in a Thomas Churchyard poem was used in order to correctly date it in relation to his other works.^[5] Statistics can also fuel debates on whether alliterations in literary works were included by chance or by the author’s volition, as in a recent study of 100 Shakespearian William Shakespeare [a] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".[b] His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays,[c] 154 sonnets, two long sonnets The sonnet is one of several forms of lyric poetry originating in Europe. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound". By the thirteenth century, it had come to signify a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and.^[6]

Alliteration still seems to maintain an important, though perhaps more subtle, part in contemporary English poetry. Books aimed at young readers often use alliteration, as it consistently captures children's interest, as the "powerful Poo-A-Doo powder" and the "Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo" in Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo. LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone. He published over 60 children's books, which were often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of trisyllabic meter. His most celebrated's The Butter Battle Book.

Among contemporary literature, crime fiction writer James Ellroy James Ellroy is an American crime writer and essayist employed alliteration extensively in the second volume of his Underworld USA Trilogy, The Cold Six Thousand, consistent with the novel's hard-boiled tabloid style.

Usage in English

Pop culture

Alliteration survives most obviously in modern English in hip-hop, magazine article titles, advertisements and business names, comic strip or cartoon characters, and common expressions: ^[7]

• Movie Titles: V for Vendetta (including the "V" introductory monologue).
• Places in books: Bat Barn, Terror Tombs, Vampire Village
• Comics/cartoons and characters: Beetle Bailey Beetle Bailey is an American comic strip set in a United States Army military post, created by Mort Walker. It is among the oldest comic strips still being produced by the original creator, Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red bow tie, but no trousers . Donald's most famous personality trait is his easily provoked and explosive temper. Donald Duck has been, and Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character who has become an icon for the Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie, although Mickey had already appeared six months earlier in Plane. Stan Lee Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics has stated that he used alliteration extensively when naming his superhero characters because such names stand out and are more memorable (e.g. Scott Summers, Peter Parker, Sue Storm and many others). V for Vendetta V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic-book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s about the 1990s. A mysterious revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government, profoundly affecting the people he encounters is famous for the self-introductory monologue by the title character, a few paragraphs long, that consists almost entirely of words starting with the letter V V is the twenty-second letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English ( / .
• Magazine articles: “Science has Spoiled my Supper”^[8], “Too Much Talent in Tennessee?”^[9], and "Kurdish Control of Kirkuk Creates a Powder Keg in Iraq" ^[10]
• Children's Books: Animalia by Graeme Base is a famous example of alliteration within a storybook. Many names in the Harry Potter Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quandary involving series feature alliterations (e.g. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin were the four wizards who founded Hogwarts School, and Severus Snape, Minerva McGonnagall, and Filius Flitwick are among the professors).
• Shops: "Coffee Corner", "Sushi Station", "Best Buy".
• Expressions: "busy as a bee", "dead as a doornail", "good as gold", "right as rain", etc..
• Music: CSN's Helplessly Hoping, Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana, and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her family beginning at the age of seven, and later started her career as an actress with the variety television series The, Franz Ferdinand, Kerry Katona, Blackalicious's Alphabet Aerobics. Within Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac (or simply Pac) and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He has sold 75 million albums to date and is one of the best-selling music artists in the world. In addition to his status as a top-selling recording artist, Shakur was a promising actor and a social activist. Most of Shakur's songs are about's song If I Die 2 Nite, the lyrics consist of alliteration mostly with "P" beginning words, sometimes replaced by "C" or "K".
• Names and pseudonyms Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other better matches their stage persona, as in the case of hip hop artists such as Ol' Dirty Bastard ; black metal performers such: Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in 1937. He began a career as an actor, first in films and later television, appearing in 52 movie productions and gaining enough success to become a, Alex Adams, Rodney Rude, Marilyn Manson Marilyn Manson is an American musician and artist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band, Marilyn Manson. His stage name was formed from the names of actress Marilyn Monroe and convicted murder-planner Charles Manson. He has a long legacy of being depicted in the media as a bad influence on, Bradley Branning, Peter Pan Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Indians, fairies, and pirates, and from time.
• Sports Teams: Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in Buffalo, New York. They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and since 2008 have played one home game per season in Toronto. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills began, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their fellow NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. The Lakers are the current NBA champions after defeating the, Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team located in Jacksonville, Florida. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). The Jaguars, along with the Carolina Panthers, joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995, New Jersey Nets The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association that plays in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. The team will move to the Prudential Center in Newark starting in the 2010–11 season, and will relocate to the borough of Brooklyn in New York City once a new arena there is completed in 2012, Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007, San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association, Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often referred to as the Bucs or sometimes the Buccos, Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original expansion from six to twelve teams. The Penguins have, Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, entering the league as the first United States-based expansion franchise. They are also an Original Six team, along with, Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. Since 2004, the team's home has been, Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The Oilers won the, Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. The Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and four minor premierships during their twenty-two years in competition,, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are an Australian Football League club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Hawthorn Hawks, port Adelaide Power, St Kilda Saints
• The release names of the Linux Linux refers to the family of Unix-like computer operating systems using the Linux kernel. Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers. Linux is predominantly known for its use in servers; in 2009 it held a server market share distribution, Ubuntu Ubuntu , is a computer operating system based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution.

Old English names

Another use of alliteration in Old English, outside the literary sphere, is found in personal name giving.^[11] This is evidenced by the unbroken series of 9th century kings of Wessex named Æthelwulf, Æthelbald, Æthelberht, and Æthelred. These were followed in the 10th century by their direct descendants Æthelstan and Æthelred II, who ruled as kings of England.^[12] The Anglo-Saxon saints Tancred, Torhtred and Tova provide a similar example, among siblings.^[13] A well-known modern example of alliteration in name giving is the Gracie family.

See also

• Assonance
• Consonance
• Alliterative verse
• poets
• Old English

References

1. ^ James Thomson. The Castle of Indolence.
2. ^ Stoll, E. E. (May 1940). "Poetic Alliteration". Modern Language Notes 55 (5): 388.
3. ^ Scott, Fred N. (December 1915). "Vowel Alliteration in Modern Poetry". Modern Language Notes 30 (8): 237.
4. ^ Hieatt, Constance B., 'Alliterative Patterns in the Hypermetric Lines of Old English Verse', in Modern Philology Vol. 71, No. 3. (Feb. 1974), pp. 237
5. ^ Shirley, Carles G, Jr. "Alliteration as Evidence in Dating a Poem of Thomas Churchyard: An Exploratory Computer-Aided Study". Modern Philology, Vol. 76, No. 4. (May, 1979), pp. 374.
6. ^ Stoll, Elmer E. Modern Language Notes, Vol. 55, No. 5. (May, 1940), pp. 388-390.
7. ^ Coard, Robert L. Wide-Ranging Alliteration. Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 37, No. 1. (Jul., 1959),pp. 30-32.
8. ^ Wylie, Philip G. Science has Spoiled my Supper. Atlantic Magazine, April 1954.
9. ^ Dykeman, Wilma: Too Much Talent in Tennessee? Harper's Magazine, 210 (Mar 1955): 48-53.
10. ^ Oppel, Richard A. Kurdish Control of Kirkuk Creates a Powder Keg in Iraq. New York Times. [1]
11. ^ Gelling, M., Signposts to the Past (2nd edition), Phillimore, 1988, pp. 163-4.
12. ^ Old English "Æthel" translates to modern English "noble". For further examples of alliterative Anglo-Saxon royal names, including the use of only alliterative first letters, see e.g. Yorke, B., Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England, Seaby, 1990, Table 13 (p. 104; Mercia, names beginning with "C", "M", and "P"), and pp. 142-3 (Wessex, names beginning with "C"). For discussion of the origins and purposes of Anglo-Saxon "king lists" (or "regnal lists"), see e.g. Dumville, D.N., 'Kingship, Genealogies and Regnal Lists', in Sawyer, P.H. & Wood, I.N. (eds.), Early Medieval Kingship, University of Leeds, 1977.
13. ^ Rollason, D.W., 'Lists of Saints' resting-places in Anglo-Saxon England', in Anglo-Saxon England 7, 1978, p. 91.

External links

Categories: Poetic devices

See Also:

What Links Here:

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Minstrel: Blogs
• Minstrel: News
• Banjo: Dictionary
• Home
• Renaissance: Encyclopedia
• Cittern: Blogs
• Bagpipe: Blogs
• Search Terms
• Medieval: Dictionary
• Bard: Encyclopedia

Most Popular Pages:

• Mac Cosmetics: Answers
• Bear: Encyclopedia
• Parade: Answers
• Fahrenheit: Answers
• Renaissance: Encyclopedia
• Cittern: Blogs
• Bamboo: Encyclopedia
• Search Terms
• Banjo: Dictionary
• Minstrel: Encyclopedia

Related 'Alliteration' Searches: