|
|
~
Tips for Poets ~ Norse Alliterative Poetry Workshop I. Alliteration The word alliteration comes from Latin and is derived from "ad"=towards and "littera"=letter=stave. When do two words alliterate (stave) with each other ? Two words alliterate with each other when in both words, the syllable that bears the main beat starts with the *same sound* (which in most cases means the *same letter*, but not always.) Additionally, in a poem, for two words to be said to alliterate, they must usually be within the same line, and not too far apart. Two words connected by alliteration are often intentionally connected in meaning as well. When we talk of rhyme nowadays, we usually mean end-rhyme. However, the broad definition of rhyme includes stave-rhyme/alliteration as well. In European languages stave-rhymed poetry precedes end-rhyme poetry by centuries. Some prose authors also make conscious use of alliteration in order to
create a special athmosphere for some scenes.
Our everyday language knows also a variety of alliterating expressions,
like "kith and kin". |