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Alliteration and Assonance
On this page we will look at patterns of sounds and the kinds of effect
they can have in poems. First of all, though, we need to know what count
as alliteration, assonance and rhyme. This may seem so obvious as not
to be worth considering, but in fact things are a bit more complex than
they first appear.
What are alliteration and assonance? - Same or similar single sounds?
Alliteration is usually described as the repetition of the same consonants,
and assonance as the repetition of the same vowels. But we will argue
below (i) that some identical sound repetitions do not count as
alliteration or assonance and (ii) that sometimes 'repetitions' which
are similar but not identical do count sometimes. Interestingly, students
of poetry don't have much trouble in accepting that rhymes do not always
have to be exact (cf. terms like 'half-rhyme', 'partial-rhyme', 'semi-rhyme'
and 'para-rhyme'), and this should prepare us for the idea that alliteration
and assonance do not always have to be exact either.
Task A: Consonants and Vowels
What is it that distinguishes consonants from vowels (and
therefore alliteration from assonance)? How can we define them? Discuss
these questions with your partner and type your answer below. Then compare
it with what we say.
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