Euphony is the name of the harmony in music and linguistics. In terms of music, the term means, above all, the harmony, that is, the harmony of the sounds. On a linguistic level, the Euphonic means that the sounds of the speech make a pleasant impression on the hearing. For example, sequences of equals, as well as noisy or difficult-to-pronounce consonant clusters, should be avoided if a word sequence should sound pleasant. In some words, sounds can also be euphonic. The counterpart is the cacophony.
The term comes from ancient Greek (εὐφωνία ~ euphōnía) and can be translated with good / beautiful sound or beautiful voice. Consequently, this translation already refers to what is at issue: namely, the beautiful sound [ie, the sound or harmony]. Examples of music are usually found in negation, ie in negation. There are, therefore, pieces of music that do not appear to be well-nigh (2). In the language, some example words can be cited which are adapted for the purpose of harmony (1).
(1) I like watching American films.
The above example illustrates the principle. With the final syllable adjectives are often formed from nouns, the thief becomes thief and the electricity is extremely electric. Of course, other endings are also possible. Adjectives, however, which are derived from country names, usually refer to the Spanish (Spanish, Spanish, English, etc.).
If an adjective were to be derived from America, this would consequently be American. This would be problematic because it would not be clear whether a and i become a diphthong, the letters are thus spoken together, or whether the syllables are spoken separately (amerika-isch). In order to remove these obstacles and to promote the harmony, an additional n is inserted. This loudspeaker is called a linguistic euphony. Another example.
(1) Hopefully we’ll meet tomorrow.
Also the lute insertion in the adverb hopefully can be called euphony. The interposed between the hoped and the harsh has the function of merely increasing the speechability of the word and the harmony. Both examples are not justified etymologically, that is, with regard to the origin of the word. It is likely that the inserts are mainly for the purpose of the Euphony.
Cacophony and euphony in music
In music, cacophony describes the fact that a sequence of sounds sounds unpleasant or is perceived as disharmonic, with dissonances being regarded as cacophonic. Dissonance means a mis-tone, which is perceived by the listener as a necessity of resolution.
Thus every piece of music which is not cacophonic can be called Euphonian. Let us now look at a work that has emerged as a subgenre (noise) of music. Noise is characterized above all by the fact that the sequence of sounds and sounds is dispensed with, whereby only sounds are used. However, these are not genuine, but mostly arise on the computer.
The above example is from the Japanese noise project Merzbow. Sometimes some theoretical assumptions of music can not be applied to this section, but it is still a sequence of sounds and sounds. If we understand cacophony as a result of minting, the example can be regarded as cacophonic. Since it is not pleasant, it forms the counterpart (counterpart) to the Euphony.
However, both concepts are influenced by the subjective perception of the individual. A great many works of classical music, which today are regarded as artful and euphonic, were at that time known as cacophonic, since they did not partly fulfill the expectations of the listeners. Thus, the noise example cited can also be assessed only subjectively. For example, Richard Strauss’s Elektra for the premiere was not considered an euphony, but a cacophonic crash.
Short overview: The most important part of the term at a glance
The Euphony, also called Eufonie, is the name of music and linguistics. This means that the sequence of sounds is pleasant to the hearing and is not felt as unpleasant. However, the use of the term can be very subjective.
In speech, difficult and noisy consonant clusters are regarded as unpleasant, although the high density of equality can also be felt in this way. Furthermore, inserts which increase the speechability or the Hiatvermeidung (collision of two vowels) are called as Euphony.
In music the term is mostly described by its opposite. This is cacophony, which is a sequence of Misstones. If a piece is not cacophonic, it can be euphonic and therefore harmonious and pleasant for the ears.
In some sources, the Euphony is described as a rhetorical stylistic device. This, however, seems to be a deceptive assumption. For the harmony of the utterance should be the aim of the linguistic utterance and is not a conspicuous stylistic device. However, cacophony can be used as stylistic means, since it breaks with the usual linguistic sequence.