Alliteration As An Art

If you read the headline above, you've seen an example of alliteration. This particular literary device seems to be a favorite of nursery rhymes and poetry - and tongue twisters.

But unlike some of the related literary devices I've described on other pages, this one needs to be used with great care.


Definition and Details

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several words in the same phrase. An example is the Mother Goose tongue-twister, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers …".

In poetry, it may also refer to repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to the poem's meter, are stressed, as in James Thomson's verse "Come…dragging the lazy languid line along".

Another definition of this figure of speech includes repetition of vowel sounds as well as consonants in any position within the words of a sentence. For example "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii".

All languages seem to use this literary device, either purposefully or accidentally. Alliterative verse played an important part in Old English poetry as well as other old Germanic languages such as Old High German, Old Norse, and Old Saxon.

Today, you see it - sometimes unintentionally - in ads, titles, books, poems, names and just about anywhere else language is used. How an author might use it in a novel without scaring away readers - that's the art.


A Little Goes A Long Way

When I read a good book, I don't always notice every literary device the author may have used. But alliteration stands out. It draws attention, either to itself (which is not generally the idea), or to the subject it's been used with.

Like metaphor , analogy and simile , this device must be used with caution. Used well, however, it can make quite a lasting impression.

In humorous fiction, for instance, a character could speak only in alliterative sentences (though what a project that would be to create this character's dialogue!).

Alternatively, it can be dropped in subtly if you keep the phrases short:

The smell could gag a goat. While "gag a goat" employs alliteration, it doesn't scream "Hey, look at me! I'm playing with words!" So in instances like this, there's really nothing wrong with using it.

Unless you do it every other sentence, in which case, your readers will stop trusting you and toss you tome aside.


Names and Other Uses

Rather inadvertently, we named both of our children with a form of alliteration. My son's middle and last name both start with H - Hayden Henderson. My daughter's first and middle name both start with J - Jessilen Jeanne.

Our son's was dictated by the fact that my husband wanted to honor his father by using his initials. But not the actual name, which would have gotten our hapless son into fights in school. (Kay Homer just isn't going to fit in well these days.)

Our daughter's was my fault when I decided I wanted to name her partly after my mother by using her middle name. And since I could be more fanciful with a girl (without getting her into fights in school), Jessilen was our choice of first name.

You can do similar things with your novel. I've seen a few where half (or more) of the characters are named that way. If it fits your genre, story, characters and all, without drawing too much attention to itself, feel free to do this.

But again, don't overdo this (unless it's being used for humor's sake). You'll only chase your cherished readers off.


Exceptions Exclude The Rules

While I've warned you off overusing any literary device, as with most things in life, there are exceptions to this rule when using alliteration.

The one exception here is books for young children. Such language usage tends to get their attention, and fill them with interest (and perhaps giggles). From names that are intentionally goofy, to rhymes and punchy phrases that remain in the brain for years afterward, this is a great place to use this device.

Dr. Suess books are brimming with creative plays on word usage. Fox in Socks for instance is titled with vowel alliteration, and many of the rhymes within it use the same formats.

I still remember the "...poodle in a puddle..." and the "...tweedle beetle battle..." from reading those books to my children when they were small. Over and over, because they loved to hear how fast I could get those silly tongue twisters out.

And that's a wonderful way to leave a lasting impression on your readers.