Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of a leading consonant sound in a phrase. A common example in English is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration can take the form of assonance, the repetition of a vowel, or consonance, the repetition of a consonant; however, unlike a strict definition of alliteration, both assonance and consonance can regularly occur within words as opposed to being limited to the word's initial sound. Some critics hold the opinion that the term "alliteration" applies just as accurately to phonetic repetitions that occur elsewhere than the first position (first letter), sometimes falling on later syllables, yet retaining alliterative properties due to the form of the example's meter, which, through affecting the syllables stress may mimic the intensity of the initial. Further, the use of differing consonants of similar properties (labials, dentals, etc.) is sometimes considered to be alliteration. Similarly, phrases such as "Apt alliteration's artful aid" still seems to retain the efficacy of alliteration despite the unique pronunciation of the "a" in each word. This has been attributed by the American writer Fred Newton Scott to the sharing of the attribute of a glottal stop (which he terms the "glottal catch") by virtually every vowel in the English language when it is found in the initial position.

The relative formal accessibility of alliteration makes it one of the most commonly used literary tools in English, tracing its origins back to Old English and other Germanic languages such as Old High German, Old Norse, and Old Saxon. Particularly notable examples of early literary alliteration can be found in these languages' poetry, namely Alliterative verse. Alliterative verse is a form of poetry that relies heavily on consonance and assonance rather than rhyme. Perhaps the most famous example of alliterative poetry is the Old English epic, Beowulf. A line extracted from Beowulf which bears an example of the most common “hypermetric” form contained in the poem follows. Note the alliterative ‘’g’’ initials:

Gan under Gyldnum Beage, þær þa godan twegen

As testament to the pervasive use of alliteration in English poetry, it is commonly tabulated and statistically analyzed, and has even for example been mapped in a Thomas Churchyard poem in order to correctly date it in relation to his other works. Statistics can also fuel debates on author’s alliterative motive, in attempts to determine if the alliterations that critics find were included by chance or by the author’s volition. One such study of 100 Shakespearian sonnets concluded that the author “might as well have drawn his words out of a hat”, and provoked other critics' defense of the questioned alliteration.

Books aimed at young readers often use alliteration, as it consistently captures children's interest.

Alliteration in English survives today most obviously in flashy magazine article titles, advertisements and business names, comic strip or cartoon characters, and generally cliché expressions:

• Magazine articles: “Science has Spoiled my Supper” and “Too Much Talent in Tennessee?”
• Comic/cartoon characters: Beetle Bailey, Donald Duck
• Restaurants: Coffee Corner, Steak ‘n’ Shake, Sushi Station
• Expressions: busy as a bee, dead as a doornail, good as gold, right as rain, etc...
• Music: Blackalicious' "Alphabet Aerobics" focuses on the uses of alliteration in rhyme

However, it still seems to maintain an important, though perhaps more subtle, part in modern English poetry.

See also

• Assonance
• Consonance