Alliteration

Definition

Baldick defines alliteration as “the repetition of the same sounds – usually initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables - in any sequence of neighbouring words.” (Baldick: 6) In Encyclopaedia Britannica it is mentioned that alliteration is sometimes referred to as the repetition of not only the initial consonant, but the vowel sounds as well.” (Alliteration)

Once a required element in the poetry of Germanic languages it nowadays mostly plays only decorative effect in verse or prose. (Baldick: 6)

Examples of alliteration

He took a first photo of the flying phantom’s face. – As alliteration is connected to the pronunciation rather than the spelling, we can use both f and ph.

A sad sailor sang a stupid silly song.

The small snake slowly slithered in the sand.

Sources

“Alliteration.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 1 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/art/alliteration. Accessed 19 Oct. 2024.

Baldick, C. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford University Press, 2001.

by Jan Vojtěch, 482072