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Alliteration as Stylistic Devices and Poly-functional Character
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is primarily a Euphonic Device and Euphonic Function is practically identical in both languages. Alliteration appears to be one of the fundamental features of Poetry. But Alliteration in Prose is more frequently used in English than in Russian and cannot always be preserved. For example, it is not preserved in the translation of the concluding paragraph of Galsworthy’s “Indian Summer of a Forsyte” by M. Lorie.
Summer – summer – summer! The soundless footsteps on the grass.
Жарко – жарко – знойно! Бесшумные шаги по траве.
The 2nd function of Alliteration is a logical function. Alliteration serves as a link binding together different components of the text. It is used as a bond between the Epithet and the qualified word. e.g.
silent sea (Oldridge); dusty death (Shakespeare)
Alliteration in its logical function is frequently used in all kinds of Emotive Prose, e.g.
Alliteration here is deliberately used in the enumeration of different poetical and literary forms. The author’s device and its function can, in this case, be easily rendered in translation.
Nothing befalls him (the author) that he cannot transmute into a stanza, a song, or a story. (Somerset Maugham).
Все, что происходит с писателем, может найти свое воплощение в песне, поэме или повести.
Alliteration is also not infrequently used in Newspaper Style and Publicist Style.
At the end of the week the students, tutors and chairman meet to review the school. Everything is criticized, sometimes favorably, from the tutor to the tea, from the bedroom to the beer.
В конце недели студенты, преподаватели и председатель встречаются, чтобы обсудить все учебные дела. Все подвергается критике, иногда благожелательной – и преподаватели, и чай, и спальни и пиво.
In this case Alliteration has not been preserved. While it is easily rendered in the preceding example and is not forced and sounds quite natural, here it would be rather affected “преподаватели и пирожки, постели и пиво”. But the Omission of Alliteration is compensated by Polysyndeton which imparts a certain rhythm to the sentence and makes it emphatic.
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