euphony and cacophony

euphony and cacophony

sound
      sound patterns used in verse to achieve opposite effects: euphony is pleasing and harmonious; cacophony is harsh and discordant. Euphony is achieved through the use of vowel sounds in words of generally serene imagery. Vowel sounds, which are more easily pronounced than consonants, are more euphonious; the longer vowels are the most melodious. Liquid and nasal consonants and the semivowel sounds (l, m, n, r, y, w) are also considered to be euphonious. An example may be seen in “The Lotos-Eaters” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: “The mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters came.” Cacophony, the opposite of euphony, is usually produced by combinations of words that require a staccato, explosive delivery. Inadvertent cacophony is a mark of a defective style. Used skillfully for a specific effect, however, it vitalizes the content of the imagery. A line in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” illustrates cacophony:

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
Agape they heard me call.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • euphony — noun a) A pronunciation of letters and syllables which is pleasing to the ear. When I hear you speak, I hear beautiful euphony. b) Good phonetic quality of certain words. Ant: cacophony …   Wiktionary

  • cacophony — noun /kəˈkɒfəni/ A mix of discordant sounds; dissonance. Not more unutterable could have been the chaos of hellish sound if the pit itself had opened to release the agony of the damned, for in one inconceivable cacophony was centered all the… …   Wiktionary

  • Phonaesthetics — is the claim or study of inherent pleasantness or beauty (euphony) or unpleasantness (cacophony) of the sound of certain linguistic utterances. Poetry is often considered euphonic, as is well crafted literary prose. Important phonaesthetic… …   Wikipedia

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  • sound — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) I adj. whole, undamaged; healthy, robust; logical, true, valid, reliable, honorable, trust worthy; solvent; strong, firm; thorough; unbroken. See perfection, health, stability.Ant., unsound, unhealthy,… …   English dictionary for students

  • music — n 1. sounds, tones, rhythm; singing, instrumentation, orchestration; harmonization, harmony, euphony; cacophony, dissonance; counterpoint, polyphony. 2. melody, tune, cavatina, song, lay, descant, aria, arietta, strain; theme, passage, chorus,… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • Dissonance — has several meanings, all related to conflict or incongruity: Consonance and dissonance in music are properties of an interval or chord Cognitive dissonance is a state of mental conflict Dissonance in poetry is the deliberate avoidance of… …   Wikipedia

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