Rhetorical Terms & RootsWeek 1

Euphony vs. Cacophony

Eu (good) phon (sound) y – a succession of harmonious sounding words in poetry or prose.

Consonants such as “l, m, n, r” and soft “f” and “v” sounds; “w”, “s”, “y” and “th” or “wh” extensively to create more pleasant sounds

Caco (bad) phon (sound) y – words that combine sharp, harsh, hissing, or unmelodious sounds.

Cconsonants in combinations which requires explosive delivery e.g., p, b, d, g, k, ch-, sh-

Examples:

Euphony:

Success is counted sweetestBy those who ne’er succeed.To comprehend a nectarRequires sorest need. - Emily Dickinson

Full-faced above the valley stood the moon;And like a downward smoke, the slender streamAlong the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Examples:Cacophony:

“And being no stranger to the art of war, I have him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carabines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermines, countermines, bombardments, sea-fights…” - Jonathon Swift

“With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,Agape they heard me call.” – Samuel Coleridge

Dissonance:Dis (not, apart) son (sound) ance – synonym for

cacophony.

This is a please this is a please there are the saids to jelly. These are the wets these say the sets to leave a crown to Incy.           Incy is short for incubus.           A pot. A pot is a beginning of a rare bit of trees. Trees tremble, the old vats are in bobbles, bobbles which shade and shove and render clean, render clean must.          - Gertrude Stein

Alliteration:

A (to, toward) liter (letter) ation – repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants in two or more neighboring words.

“His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.” – James Joyce

Assonance:

A (to, toward) son (sound) ance – repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase.

“And stepping softly with her air of blooded ruin about the glade in a frail agony of grace she trailed her rags through dust and ashes, circling the dead fire, the charred billets and chalk bones, the little calcined ribcage.” – Cormac McCarthy

Consonance:Con (with) son (sound) ance - repetitive sounds produced by

consonants within a sentence or phrase; a form of alliteration that is the opposite of assonance

pitter, patter

chuckle, fickle, and kick

“Rap rejects my tape deck, ejects projectileWhether Jew or gentile, I rank top percentileMany styles, more powerful than gamma raysMy grammar pays, like Carlos Santana plays.” – The Fugees

Connotation vs. Denotation:

Con (with) not (mark) ation - a meaning that is implied by a word apart from its definition; cultural and emotional associations or meanings that come with a word

“Childlike” “Childish” are both negative; “Youthful” is positive

De (down) not (mark) ation – a word’s dictionary definition (devoid of its emotional association)

Ambiguity:

Ambi (both) guity (lead, wander) – having a double meaning or multiple meanings; ambiguous can also mean “open to interpretation” or “intentionally vague”

I can't recommend this book too highly.

Prostitutes Appeal to Pope (newspaper headline)

Diction:

Dict (say, speak, proclaim) ion – the author’s or the speaker’s word choice

Formal vs. Informal language; appeals to emotion (pathos)

Creates mood, tone, and atmosphere