assonant
/'æsənənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having the same vowel sound occurring with different consonants in successive words or stressed syllables: This describes a literary device, a type of rhyme where the vowel sounds match but the consonant sounds differ.
- Having the same sound (especially the same vowel sound) occurring in successive stressed syllables: This refers to the repetition of similar vowel sounds in close proximity, creating a musical or rhythmic effect in language.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The poet used assonant phrases to create a haunting melody within the verse.
- The line "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" is famous for its assonant 'ai' sound.
- An assonant echo can be heard in the words "lake" and "fate."
Advanced Usage
- Literary Analysis: The term is primarily used in the analysis of poetry and prose to describe sound patterns.
- The critic praised the author's skillful use of assonant echoes to unify the stanza.
- Phonetics and Linguistics: Used to describe phonetic similarity in vowel sounds irrespective of spelling.
- In linguistics, we study how assonant pairs like "hot" and "rock" share the same vowel phoneme.
Variants and Related Words
- Assonance (n): The stylistic device or phonetic phenomenon itself.
- The poem's beauty lies in its subtle assonance.
- Assonantal (adj): A less common variant meaning pertaining to assonance.
Synonyms
- Vowel rhyme: A direct synonym emphasizing the rhyming of vowel sounds.
- Slant rhyme: A broader term that can include assonance as well as consonance (rhyme of consonants).
Antonyms
- Consonant: In the context of sound patterns, this refers to repetition of consonant sounds (consonance).
- Dissonant: Harsh or inharmonious in sound; lacking harmony or agreement.
Adjective
- having the same vowel sound occurring with different consonants in successive words or stressed syllables
- having the same sound (especially the same vowel sound) occurring in successive stressed syllables
- note the assonant words and syllables in `tilting at windmills'