souzvukem

Souzvukem is the instrumental singular of the Czech noun souzvuk, which denotes harmony of sounds or euphony. In linguistic, literary and musicological contexts, souzvuk describes the phenomenon of sound harmony within a sequence of phonemes, syllables or words, contributing to a smooth and agreeable overall impression. The instrumental form souzvukem is used to indicate accompaniment, manner or means by which something is produced or expressed, for example: hudba zněla souzvukem jemných tónů, meaning that the music carried a harmony of gentle tones.

The concept is closely related to stylistic devices such as euphony, alliteration and assonance and is often discussed in analysis of poetry, rhetoric and speech prosody. It is not a common term of everyday language but appears mainly in scholarly descriptions and literary criticism when the author wants to emphasize how the sound pattern of a text or performance contributes to its effect.

Usage notes and scope can vary by era and school of linguistics; souzvuk as such emphasizes pleasant or intentional harmony of sounds, rather than merely the absence of harshness. The term is primarily of interest to philologists, poets and readers studying sound as a formal aspect of language and style.

Related topics include souzvuk (the broad notion of sound harmony), eufonie (euphony), alliteration and assonance.