English
Rhythm and sound.
Definition
The musical qualities of language created through patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables (rhythm) and the repetition or arrangement of sounds. In poetry, rhythm and sound devices like rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia create mood and reinforce meaning.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Iambic pentameter in Shakespeare: da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM
- 2 Onomatopoeia: "buzz," "crash," "sizzle" — words that sound like what they describe
- 3 Internal rhyme: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary" (Poe)