euphony

Euphony is the quality of language that sounds pleasant to the ear, produced by harmonious combinations of sounds, rhythm, and cadence. In literature and rhetoric, it refers to passages that sound smooth, soft, or musical, as opposed to language that feels harsh or jarring.

Sound patterns contributing to euphony include the use of soft consonants and vowels, as well as repetition and balance. Techniques commonly associated with euphony are assonance (repetition of vowel sounds), alliteration (repetition of initial consonants), and consonance (repetition of consonant sounds elsewhere in the line), along with deliberate vowel qualities and rhythmic regularity. Euphony is often enhanced by avoiding harsh consonant clusters and abrupt transitions.

The effect is subjective and culturally conditioned, but certain lines are widely regarded as especially melodic. Poems such as John Keats's To Autumn, with lines like “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,” are frequently cited as examples. The phrase “cellar door” is also commonly discussed in discussions of pleasing sound, though judgments vary with language and speaker.

In linguistics and phonetics, euphony is examined within the broader field of phonesthetics, the study of how sound structure influences aesthetic perception. It is contrasted with cacophony, a deliberately discordant or jarring sound pattern used for effect in poetry or prose.

See also: cacophony, phonesthetics, alliteration, assonance, consonance.