The Sound Effects of Poetry 1: The Basics

In this six-part series, we’ll examine the different sound effects of poetry. Today, we start with the basics.

The Sound Effects of Poetry 1: The Basics

Poets are like composers; their orchestra consists of the sounds of human communication. Today, we’ll talk about why sound is vital for poetry and what the building blocks of poetic sound are.

This blog post is the first in a series. Please read them in the numerical order.

The Building Bricks of Poetry

Truly great poems need to be read aloud. Why? Because poetry is nothing without sound. Humans communicate with their voices – poetry (like singing) is turning this into an art form.

The first poems ever weren’t written; they were spoken, memorized and passed on from generation to generation before the alphabet was invented. This was only possible by using sounds put to their maximum effect. Some sounds provide rhythm, and some provide a melody, like a theme to lead us through the piece. There’s even an underlying bass line to enrich the experience.

A Journey Into Sound

Any language is made up of vowels and consonants. It’s their combination that creates meaning. They can do so much more.

Depending on which sound you choose, something or someone is ‘lugubrious,’ ‘sad’ or ‘dismal.’ These words mean roughly the same. But each creates a different atmosphere.

Follow me into the world of vowels and consonants. Please speak these sounds out loud as you read and see if you can agree with me.

To simplify, I’ll try to steer clear of the phonetic alphabet. I’ll only use bits of theory as it is applied by singers and speech therapists. You’ll be surprised how that ties in with poetry!

The Almighty Vowels

Vowels are the easiest way to decide if your poem should sound open and cheerful, constrained, or dark and mysterious. I’ll explain.

We have five vowels in the alphabet. Each of them also exists in combinations, so the English language has 20 vowel sounds in total. This is where we might need to consult a linguist and switch to using the phonetic alphabet. But I did promise you to keep the theory to a minimum. We’ll stick to the five vowels of the alphabet and their basic sounds.

The oldest vowel in human history is probably the vowel ‘A’ with the /ah/-sound. It’s what most babies around the world use when they learn how to talk! No wonder the word ‘mama’ is so universal.

It’s the sound that opens up your voice, it relaxes your tongue. It’s also what singers call a ‘chesty’ vowel because it creates vibrations in your chest. If you’re in a choir, then that’s usually what you start your singing exercises with. /Ah/ is your easy-going friend. It’s the sound of pleasantness, of relaxation, and of understanding.

The opposite is the /ee/-sound (never mind my spelling, the sound belongs to the vowel ‘I’). To produce this vowel, we need to use the most muscles in our throat. Our vocal cords become tight, and our voice becomes high-pitched. Singers know that this is sung in a head voice, so the vibrations are no longer in the chest. It puts such a strain on our larynx that singers rarely stay in this vowel for very long. This is the sound of stress, of disgust, of danger. It begs your attention.

The vowel ‘U’ (/oo/) in all its variations is another easy-going vowel. It lacks the openness of the vowel ‘A’ though. Because of the way we use our lips and our larynx, it’s the darkest sound we produce. If you don’t believe me, try saying the /ah/ and /oo/ out loud and alternate between them. See what I mean?

The vowel ‘O’ (/oh/) is more closed than the vowels ‘A’ and ‘U.’ It’s the sound for surprise and wonder, even doubt.

The vowel ‘E’ (/eh/) is perhaps the most unspectacular of all vowels. When you look at the way the human throat produces it, then you’ll notice that it sits between the open and relaxed ‘A’ and the very tight ‘I.’ In a way, the vowel ‘E’ provides the bridge between the two. It’s still very interesting, as it’s the most frequently used vowel in the English language. It comes up in 11 % of all words!

Summing up, each vowel has a unique sound pattern, which is linked to the way we produce the sound. Every vowel creates a unique physical sensation. That’s the thing poets use!

Applying The Vowel Sounds To Poetry

If you think this is all theory, then let’s turn to the poetry by Alfred Lord Tennyson. He’s truly a master of sound!

Let’s look at ‘The Kraken’ first. Please read it out loud and pay attention to the ‘U’-sounds.

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides; above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages, and will lie
Battening upon huge sea worms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

Did you notice that there are many different ‘U’ and ‘O’-sounds? They give the poem its characteristic dark and mysterious atmosphere, especially when they’re in combination with ‘N’ and ‘M’-sounds (We’ll talk about consonants further down).

Tennyson achieved this effect by carefully choosing his words. Why else would he have used the words ‘thunder’ and ‘upper’ in the first line? Tennyson could have written ‘the rough surface of the sea.’ But ‘the thunders of the upper deep’ sets the atmosphere right from the very first line.

If you’d like another example: Please read Tennyson’s poem ‘Ring Out Wild Bells.’ The constant repetition of ‘I’-sounds makes those bells come alive!

What About Those Consonants?

The English Alphabet has 21 letters working together to create 24 consonant sounds. It’s too much theory to go through all of those. Let me just point out one group. /N/, /M/ and /NG/ are called the nasal consonants.

Both singers and speakers find these sounds sonorous and warm. They give you a pleasant sensation in the throat. Try speaking them out loud! Can you feel the /N/ go through your nose? The /M/ should make your lips vibrate. The /NG/-sound tickles you at the back of your throat.

How To Apply It All

The first step is to take your favourite poem. Read it out loud and try to pin down the physical sensation that the poem gives you. Check up on the vowels and consonants used. Which supports the sensation you get from that poem?

Then look at your own poetry. Think about the atmosphere you want to create. Great open spaces? Or strict confinement? Choose your vowels. Can you exchange words for alternatives to support your goal? A thesaurus can help.

The Last Word

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little journey into the basics of sound. Now you know why ‘lugubrious’, ‘sad,’ and ‘dismal’ all mean the same in the literal sense – but not a poetic one.

Once you’re aware of what vowels and consonants do for you, you’ll be able to value the work of other poets even more.

Applying this to your poetry is not a small feat! Don’t be disheartened; there are many more ways to add sound to your poetry.

The next post in this series will be about euphony and cacophony.

The Sound Effects of Poetry 1: The Basics