In this seven-part series, we examine the different sound effects of poetry. Today, we talk about how sound creates meaning.
The Sound Effects of Poetry 2: How Sound Creates Meaning
Poets are like composers; their orchestra consists of the sounds of human communication. We have already talked about the building blocks of poetic sound. Today, we look at what happens when these building blocks work together.
Please read the blog posts of this six-part series in their numerical order:
The Sound Effects Of Poetry 1 – The Basics
The Sound Effects Of Poetry 2 – Sound Creates Meaning
We’ve already established that certain vowels and consonants create a physical sensation in the speaker of a poem (The Sound Effects Of Poetry 1 – The Basics). Knowing about this can help poets influence the atmosphere of poems. That all happens on the basic level of individual sounds. Let’s take that one step further.
Putting individual sounds together creates either a pleasant sound (that’s called euphony) or an unpleasant one (cacophony). It’s a bit like music where you have harmonious sounds and jarring ones. Note that this is all on the level of sound, not meaning! Let’s delve into the science of ‘phonaesthetics.’
How Do You Create Euphony In Language?
The perfect example for euphony is the word ‘cellar door.’ It has been cited by many linguists and writers (read more in Wikipedia). The meaning of ‘cellar door’ is rather unspectacular but the sound does roll off the tongue nicely. But why is it the perfect example?
‘Cellar door’ contains the /AH/ and /OH-AH/ sounds, which create a sense of relaxation and openness (see The Sound Effects Of Poetry 1: The Basics). Also, it consists of three syllables with a stress on the first one. Believe it or not, but that’s important.
I’m not making this up. In 1995, scientist David Crystal wrote a very interesting paper (Phonaesthetically Speaking) about how he had surveyed speakers of British English to find criteria for euphonious words. Here’s what his paper tells you to do:
- Use three or more syllables, with the stress preferably on the first syllable (for example, ‘Pimlico’)
- Use at least one of the consonants /L/ and /M/. Better use both in the same word (for example, ‘tremulous’).
- In general, keep the vowel sounds short.
- Use the unstressed vowels /AH/ (as in ‘bazaar’ and ‘comma’), and /EH/ (as in ‘sit’ or ‘gym’).
Other authors list a few more criteria:
- Use consonants with muted or muffled sounds, like L, M, N, R, and W.
- Use consonants with buzzing sounds, like V, Z, and hard /TH/-sounds (as in “The”).
- Use consonants with hissing sounds, like F, H, S, and Sh.
Please note that these consonants don’t have to be next to each other to make a word sound pleasing to the ear. It’s the overall sound that matters. Now we know how to stack the vowel and consonant sounds to create euphony. But what’s in it for poets?
How Euphony Creates Meaning
Euphony in language fulfils a fundamental human need. We all search for balance, peace, and harmony, and when we find it in language then that’s something we all appreciate. That is meaning, too.
Don’t believe me? Try this experiment. Listen to the oldest poem ever written, the epic of Gilgamesh. In this video, Professor Andrew George reads part of the poem in ancient Sumerian. Chances are, you won’t understand a word. But you will hear sound patterns. They sound pleasing to your ear – that’s called euphony.
It is something that sells, too. In marketing, for example, experts apply this to find new brand names. David Crystal himself created the examples of ‘ramelon’ and ‘drematol.’ These words do sound rather pleasant, don’t they?
Crystal suggested these words could be used for pharmaceuticals. With a harmonious ring like this, it wouldn’t matter what exactly this medicine was for. The harmonious sound alone would make the patient believe it must be the best cure ever. A quick check in your medicine cabinet can get you thinking here.
Those principles also go the other way, as I am about to prove with a famous example of cacophony.
Cacophony
The opposite of euphony is cacophony. You could, of course, say: ‘Do the opposite of what David Crystal says’ or ‘Leave out all euphonious sounds.’ It won’t be that easy.
Look at Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky:
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
The poem is hard to recite because of all the fantasy words. But that’s not the reason for this cacophony. Again, we need to look at the sounds are created.
A good place to start is the explosive consonants. These are the ones that sound like a little ‘explosion’ when you pronounce them: /B/, /D/, /P/, /T/, /K/, and /G/ (as in ‘gory’, not ‘George’). These consonants are pronounced at the front of the mouth, and that gives them a very harsh sound. The consonants /C/, /CH/, /Q/ and /X/ can also have that quality. They all sound a bit like corn popping in a hot frying pan.
In the above poem, we have explosive consonants throughout. We do have a few /M/ and /L/ sounds to counter them, but these words are not long enough to create euphony.
Cacophony is rarely used for the overall atmosphere of a poem. It’s more of a special effect that poets apply to call attention to something noisy, chaotic, violent, or disruptive.
Where It All Comes Together
Sound and meaning come together in what is called onomatopoeia. This refers to words that recreate what they mean. Common English examples are bang, zoom, honk, roar, hiccup, beep, and splash.
Onomatopoeic words tend to be rather short; they often denote animal sounds. These words are great for showing in your texts, so always be on the lookout for those.
These words are also great opportunities to give free rein to your creativity. If you hear a sound, try to imitate it in your writing. The only thing you need to be aware of is your own accent. If you speak British English, then you’ll pronounce some things differently than an American speaker. The English language has over 160 recognised accents worldwide!
How To Apply It All
When you write, you’re not very likely to focus on vowels, consonants, and syllables. You’re more likely to choose your words according to their meaning.
But when you edit, this knowledge about euphony and cacophony becomes invaluable. Because then it helps you to make sure to make your point. After all, what good is a powerful message if the sound doesn’t match the meaning?
That’s called a break in register (read more about register here). Then it’s necessary to change the diction to create the sound and the feeling that you need. And now you have the tools to do so!
The Last Word
There are many ways to create harmony in writing. Using the basic laws of euphony is one of them. The good news is that these statistics about vowels and consonants aren’t the only way. Poets with a well-stacked toolbox have more tricks up their sleeves. Other ways to create euphony are:
- Rhyme
- Rhythm
- Figures of speech
We’re going to explain these in the upcoming parts of this series.
By Susanne Bennett. Susanne is a German-American writer who is a journalist by trade and a writer by heart. After years of working at German public radio and an online news portal, she has decided to accept challenges by Deadlines for Writers. Currently she is writing her first novel with them. She is known for overweight purses and carrying a novel everywhere. Follow her on Facebook.
More Posts From Susanne
- The Sound Effects of Poetry 1: The Basics
- Bad Poetry Day (18 August) – A Truly Liberating Day For Writers
- 10 Terrible Tips For Writing Bad Poetry
- The Shiny New Idea -Blessing Or Curse?
- How Writers Torture Themselves (& How To Stop)
- Douglas Adams On The Difficulties Of Writing
- Why Good Books Should Be Like Suitcases
- Diction For Writers – Why You Need To Know
- Storytelling – Why Writers Should Know How To Tell A Tale
- What Is Register & How Do Writers Use It?
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2 thoughts on “The Sound Effects of Poetry 2: How Sound Creates Meaning”
I could not resist commenting. Well written!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked this blog. More coming up on the sound effects of poetry.
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