Literary Devices: Syllabic Rhythm, Rhyme, and Semantic Resources

Literary Devices and Their Functions

Literary devices are the linguistic means by which an author uses a series of resources to guide the reader in how things are said.

Syllabic Rhythm and Rhyme

Syllabic rhythm is produced by the periodic repetition of the same number of syllables in a series of verses. The sinalefa (when a word ends in a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, they are counted as one syllable) is a key element. Whether the last word is acute, flat, or proparoxytone affects the syllable count. Rhyming verse involves the periodic repetition of sounds from the last vowel of a verse. If all sounds (vowels and consonants) are repeated, it's a full rhyme; if only vowels are repeated, it's an assonance.

Phonic and Morphosyntactic Resources

Phonic resources are based on the selection or repetition of sounds in words. Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound or sounds in words with a noticeable frequency. Morphosyntactic resources include the repetition of a word, a syntactic structure, or the usual order of words in a sentence. Anaphora is the repetition of a word at the beginning of a series of phrases. Parallelism is the repetition of the same syntactic structure in two or more lines. Concatenation is the repetition of a word at the end of a verse or sentence and the beginning of the next. Hyperbaton is the disturbance of the normal syntactic order of words within the sentence.

Semantic Resources

Semantic resources include: Comparison, which relates a fact to another with which it has some resemblance, using expressions like 'resembles' or 'recueda'. The term that refers to the reality we are talking about is called the figurative term. Metaphor identifies a reality with another that bears some resemblance, also speaking in terms (r) and (f). Metonymy uses the name of one reality to appoint another that is related by proximity or physical contact, often taking its name from one of its parts. Personification attributes qualities of human beings to objects or non-human entities.

Greguerías

Greguerías are very brief summaries, often metaphorical expressions with a sense of humor.

Monemes and Lexemes

Monemes are the smallest units of meaning.

Lexemes are lexical monemes, which have a lexical and grammatical meaning.

Inflectional and derivational affixes are added to form words.

Words alone can also be monemes.

Prefixes, interfixes, and suffixes are types of affixes.