Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the
beginning of words or in stressed syllables of a phrase. Alliteration developed largely
through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in
any syllables that, according to the poem's meter, are stressed, as in James Thomson's
verse "Come…dragging the lazy languid Line along". Another example is, "Peter Piper Picked
a Peck of Pickled Peppers". Consonance is another 'phonetic agreement'
akin to alliteration. It refers to the repetition of consonant sounds. Alliteration is a special
case of consonance where the repeated consonant sound is at the stressed syllable. Alliteration
may also include the use of different consonants with similar properties such as alliterating
z with s, as does Tolkien in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, or as Anglo-Saxon poets
would alliterate hard/fricative g with soft g; this is known as license.
There is one specialised form of alliteration called Symmetrical Alliteration. That is,
alliteration containing parallelism. In this case, the phrase must be constituted of two
end words both starting with the same letter, and the pairs of outside words getting progressively
closer to the centre of the phrase also starting with identical letters. For example, "rust
brown blazers rule", "purely and fundamentally for analytical purposes" or "fluoro colour
co-ordination forever". Symmetrical alliteration is similar to palindromes in its usage of
symmetry.
Alliteration in poetry and literature The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe has many examples
of alliteration including the following line: "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of
each purple curtain". Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient
Mariner has the following lines of alliteration: "For the sky and the sea, and the sea and
the sky." and "the furrow followed free..." Robert Frost's poem Acquainted with the Night
has the following line of alliteration: "I have stood still and stopped the sound of
feet". Examples in nursery rhymes
In "Thank-You for the Thistle" by Dorie Thurston, poetically written with alliteration in a
story form: "Great Aunt Nellie and Brent Bernard who watch with wild wonder at the wide window
as the beautiful birds begin to bite into the bountiful birdseed".
In the nursery rhyme Three Grey Geese by Mother Goose, use of alliteration can be found in
the following lines : "Three grey geese in a green field grazing. Grey were the geese
and green was the grazing." The tongue-twister rhyme Betty Botter by Carolyn
Wells is an example of alliterative composition : "Betty Botter bought some butter, but she
said, this butter's bitter; if I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter,
but a bit of better butter will make my batter better..."
Another commonly recited tongue-twister rhyme illustrating alliteration is "Peter Piper".
- "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?".
Historical use Alliteration is commonly used in many languages,
especially in poetry. Alliterative verse was an important ingredient of poetry in Sanskrit
shlokas, Old English, Old Norse, and Old Irish especially - as well as other old Germanic
languages such as Old High German, and Old Saxon. This custom extended to personal name
giving, such as in Old English given names. 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. The Anglo-Saxon saints Tancred, Torhtred and Tova provide
a similar example, among siblings. Alliteration in Poetry
In relation to English poetry, poets can call attention to certain words in a line of poetry
by using alliteration. They can also use alliteration to create a pleasant, rhythmic effect. In
the following poetic lines, notice how alliteration is used to emphasize words and to create rhythm:
"Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling!' Walt Whitman, "Give
Me the Splendid Silent Sun" “They all gazed and gazed upon this green
stranger,/because everyone wondered what it could mean/ that a rider and his horse could
be such a color-/ green as grass, and greener it seemed/ than green enamel glowing bright
against gold". Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by Benard O'Donohue
"Some papers like writers, some like wrappers. Are you a writer or a wrapper?" Carl Sandburg,
"Paper I" Alliteration can also add to the mood of a
poem. If a poet repeat soft, melodious sounds, a calm or dignified mood can result. If harsh,
hard sound are repeated, on the other hand, the mood can become tense or excited. In this
poem, alliteration of the s, l, and f sound adds to a hushed, peaceful mood:
"Softer be they than slippered sleep the lean lithe deer the fleet flown deer." E. E. Cummings
"All in green went my love riding" Alliteration in Rhetoric
Alliteration also serves as a linguistic rhetorical device more commonly used in persuasive public
speaking. Rhetoric is broadly defined as the "Art of Persuasion", which has from earliest
times been concerned with specific techniques for effective communication. Alliteration
serves to "intensify any attitude being signified". Its significance as a rhetorical device is
that it adds a textural complexity to a speech, making it more engaging, moving, and memorable.
The use of alliteration in a speech captivates a person's auditory senses that assists in
creating a mood for the speaker. The use of a repeating sound or letter forces an audience’s
attention because of their distinct and noticeable nature. The auditory senses, hearing and listening,
seem to perk up and pay attention with the constant sounds of alliteration. It also evokes
emotion which is key in persuading an audience. The idea of pathos solidifies that playing
to a person's emotions is key in persuading them and connecting them to the argument that
is being made. For example, the use of a "H" sound can produce a feeling of calmness. Other
sounds can create feelings of happiness, discord, or anger, depending on the context of the
alliteration. These feelings become memorable to a listener, which have been created by
alliteration. The most common example of this is in John
F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, where he uses alliteration twenty-one times throughout his
speech. The last paragraph of his speech is given as an example here.
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the
same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience
our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead
the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's
work must truly be our own." –JFK Other examples of alliteration in some famous
speeches: "I have a dream that my four little children
will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but
by the content of their character." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
"We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created
equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca
Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung,
who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk
alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom
of every soul on Earth". — Barack Obama "And our nation itself is testimony to the
love our veterans have had for it and for us. All for which America stands is safe today
because brave men and women have been ready to face the fire at freedom's front." — Ronald
Reagan, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Address "Four score and seven years ago our fathers
brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal". -Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
Pop culture Alliteration is most commonly used in modern
music but is also seen in magazine article titles, advertisements, business names, comic
strips, television shows, video games and in the dialogue and naming of cartoon characters.
An example would be Tupac Shakur's "If I Die 2Nite" off his Me Against The World release.
See also Anadiplosis
Assonance Consonance
Onomatopoeia Parachesis
Tautogram Tongue twister
References
External links A collection of Dutch alliterations and related
material Examples of alliteration in poetry