《英语修辞学》第七章

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7.2 Alliteration （押头韵）
(1) Definition:
The word alliteration derives from Latin, meaning “repeating and playing upon the same letter”. Therefore, alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant in two or more words. It is a very old rhetorical device, and the first figures of speech adopted in English.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden. (John F. Kennedy)
(2) Newspaper headlines: Bread Not Bombs Cut Crime with Jobs---Not Jails Battle for Balanced Budget
She sells sea-shells on the sea-shore.
Cut Costs Without Cutting Corners. (advertising for cars)
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(5) In advertisements and slogans标语 Vitamins for Vim and Vigor (advertising for vitamins) Sea, Sun, Sand, Seclusion ----and Spain! (advertising for spanish seashore scenic pots.)
and classical rhetoric had a number of sound devices based on the “echoing” or the rhyming of sounds. Modern English has inherited some of these devices. These devices are also called phonetic figures of speech.
对于好动的美国人来说，幸福不仅取决于健康、爱情、舒适和温暖的家庭，还取决于汽车。
We should not demean贬低 our democracy with the politics of distraction, denial and despair.(Al Gore)
我们不可用消解、拒绝和绝望的托辞贬屈我们的民主。
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More Examples:
E.g. Penny wise, pound foolish. 小处精明, 大处浪费; 小事聪明, 大事糊涂
Practice makes perfect.
Far fowls have fair feathers. （远处的鸟羽毛更美丽）“远来的和 尚会念经”。说某人“面善心恶”，英语是A fair face hides a foul heart;说“酒后说胡话”，英语是When wine sinks, words swim; 四川人有句俗语非常好，把天上飞的，地上跑的，水里游的叫做“陆空”，
中，“充满生机”的译文 full of vigor and vitality 就是了押头韵的技巧。
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例如：The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection. (Lexus automobile) 译文：追求完美，近乎苛求；凌志轿车，永不停歇！ 这是Lexus牌汽车广告，其基本含义为“近乎苛求地追求完美”。这则广
告一组押头韵词语是围绕/P/这个辅音展开的：Pursuit和Perfection. Pursuit和
Perfection都属该语篇的核心词汇，所构成的押头韵使整个语篇显得富有韵律和 节奏感。汉语译文采用了四字格形式的排比结构，由两部分构成：第一部分描 述了源语语篇核心词汇所含的主要概念意义“追求完美”，和源语语篇副词所 含的概念意义“近乎苛求”；第二部分首先写出商品品牌，在品牌 “凌志轿车” 后加了“永不停歇”，以表示汽车制造者的决心和志向。四个并列的四字词语， 使译文语言显得明快流畅，节奏优美和谐。
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(3) Advantages:
As a figure of speech, it is good for sound rhyme, musical effect and significant emphasis. For example,
1) The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.
2) Bye, Bye, Balanced Budget
3) Gunk Grounds the Second Shuttle Alliteration is a great help to memory. By highlighting the sounds of words, alliteration catches the attention of the audience and makes the idea impressed deeply on the audience and thus easier for them to remember. For example,
(2) Applicable areas:
In Poetry In prose In newspaper headings In proverbs In tongue twisters
In advertisements and slogans
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E.g. (1) In prose Next to health, heart, home, happiness for mobile Americans depends upon the automobile.
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For example: 1) The short, lax, spread vowel /i/ is supposed to convey bright, light, fleet, happy impression, as in: Spring, the sweet Spring, is the year’s pleasant king; Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring, Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing. (T. Nash: “Spring”) 2) The sounds /ɑ:/ and /o/ are considered more pleasant to the ears, as for example in “doll”, “holiday”, “lark(嬉戏, 玩乐)”, “dance”, “hearty”, etc. 3) Most people feel that the consonants /k/, /g/ and their clusters /kl/,
(2) A good knowledge of some English phonetic figures of speech is helpful not only to students of EFL as writers, but also as rBaidu Nhomakorabeaaders of English articles. (3) The basic features of English sounds: English sounds are classified phonetically into vowels and consonants, and the pronunciation of words is done by combinations of vowels and consonants. The vowels and consonants not only have phonetic qualities, but also have some sensory qualities, which suggest certain impressions.
Introduction Alliteration（押头韵） Assonance（押元音韵） Consonance（押辅音韵） Onomatopoeia（拟声） Aposiopesi（话语中断法） Apostrophe（呼语） Pun（双关）
7.1 Introduction
(1) All languages have sound. Orators in ancient times knew how to use the sounds of their language for maximum rhetorical effect,
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某扫描仪广告: Slim，stylish，silver. 译文1：银色线条显精简，时尚光辉在闪现 译文2：外显精简之美，内藏时尚韵味。 这则广告语篇属于描述体语篇体裁，由三个关系过程小句的 省略形式构成。三个用来描述这种扫描仪器特点的形容词都以辅 音/s/开头，构成押头韵修辞，语言简洁工整，令人倍感时尚。
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(3) Proverbs Time and tide wait for no man. 时不我待 ；机遇不可错过 Many a man, many a mind. 人多心不齐。
Spare the rod, spoil the child. 不教不成材；不打不成器 Death pays all debts. (4) In tongue twister Peter piper picked a peck of pickled pepper. 一死百了
翻译成英语应该叫“feather，feet or fin”，就长羽毛的、长脚的，还有长鳍
的。 现在许多人择偶条件中有一条，要求对象既有“才”，还要有“趣”，有 “才”有“趣”用英语表达就可以用上头韵技巧：“a man of wisdom and wit”。如果遇上a man of wisdom and wit，可要错过机会，嫁给他做wife吧。
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在翻译中，恰如其分地运用押头韵的手法可以使译文增色不少。在上海世 博会的申办报告中，原文有“上海迅速发展成为一个充满生机和希望的城 市”，我们把它翻译为：“Shanghai has been developing rapidly
into a city full of vigor and vitality and showing a great promise.”其
/kr/, /gl/, /gr/ are suggestive of unpleasantness or ugliness, as in
“kick”, “kill”, “clack(唠叨，喋喋不休)”, “crack”, “groan”, “glut(暴食：过 量地吃或过度耽溺于，沉湎于)”, “haggle(讨价还价，争论不休)”, “anger”, etc.
English Rhetoric
Chapter Seven Phonetic Figures of Speech
By Song Pingfeng
Contents of This Chapter
7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8
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