There are many literary and linguistic terms, the meaning of which is completely unfamiliar to us. Therefore, in this article we will try to understand what alliteration is, where it can be found, what makes it interesting. For many readers, it will be a discovery that this phenomenon occurs in our lives more than often. Often, lines with alliteration are composed on the go by those people who have a penchant for poetry.
Different interpretation of the term
So, alliteration is a kind of harmony, which is formed due to the repetition of the same or similar in sound sound consonants used at the beginning of the word. Speaking more broadly about what alliteration is, it can be noted that this is a canonized literary device, which, although based on a combination of such sounds, has nothing to do with rhyme. If we consider the interpretation of this term even easier, then alliteration has a distant resemblance to rhyme. However, in this case, harmony will take place not at the end of each line, but at its beginning.
A few examples
To understand what alliteration is, it is enough to plunge into the world of folk sayings and sayings. It is in those short lines that seem to teach us how to live correctly that this mysterious literary term is spelled out. As an example, the proverb “Cabbage soup and porridge is our food” can be recited. Here we see both the alliteration, which is at the beginning of the first words, and the rhyme, which makes this saying even more melodic. A similar example can also be the words "You can’t conceal an awl in a bag," "It's easier than a steamed turnip" and others.
The beautiful world of poetry
Also, poems by famous Russian poets will help us understand what alliteration is. Surprisingly, the leaders in using this technique in practice were the most famous geniuses of the Golden Age - Pushkin and Lermontov. For example, Mikhail Yuryevich owned the following words: “I really do not expect anything from life. And I’m not sorry for the past at all. ” Well, the famous verse of Pushkin with the words "Dull season! Eye charm! Your farewell beauty is pleasant to me, ”is an example of this canonical device, which everyone has heard.
Past and Present Alliteration
Poems with alliteration can be found in A. Blok, as well as in some other poets of the Silver Age. A similar literary device takes place in the oldest Russian annalistic work - “The Word about Igor's Regiment”, in verses by Nekrasov, Severyanin and Mayakovsky. Often in such works alliteration alternates with rhyme, due to which the poem is perceived by the ear as something non-standard, unexpected, very interesting.
Perception of this technique
It is generally accepted that of all the techniques in literature, alliteration is best defined by ear. Examples of such sound combinations were presented above, so you can read them again and catch that the sound connection between the spoken words can be seen only if you hear them. It is impossible to catch these consonances in a letter. Perhaps that is why alliteration has so firmly taken root precisely in oral folk art.