As a cacophony, also Übellaut, linguistics is the sequence of bad sounding sounds and in music a disagreement (dissonance) perceived as unpleasant. In language usage, however, cacophony also means the disagreement between several persons in relation to a particular question. The counterpart (antonym) of the concept is therefore the harmony, which is called euphony. Such phenomena can be regarded as stylistic means in literature and music.
The term is derived from the Greek adjective κακός (kakós) and the noun φωνή (phōné), which can be translated with bad and sound, also sound and voice. According to this, the translation of the notion of what is at issue is a bad sound or a tone that is perceived as unpleasant by the listener. Let us look at examples from literature (1) and music (2).
(1) The time is colorless and joyless.
The above example is cacophony. The noun Jetztzeit unites two hissing sounds (tz, z), which immediately follow one another. If several syllable sounds, which are nearly identical for the receiver, this can have a disagreement. Often such connections are found in tongue breakers, since they are difficult to talk about. Cacophonus are, therefore, difficult, noisy consonant heaps.
(1) I’ll come later. Now I’m still sitting on the knitting stocking.
In this example too, two hard syllables collide with each other in the compound word knitting stocking, which means a stocking which is being knitted straight. Namely ck and st, which does not necessarily sound harmonious. This break is also made clear by the hard caesura. If the presented example words are clearly spoken, a clear speech pause is made between the silent syllables.
With regard to language, of course, cacophony depends to a great extent on the judgment of the recipient, and whether the sounds appear pleasant or unpleasant. Nevertheless, there are connections that sound rather unpleasant or disharmonic. This includes the accumulation of equals (first example) as well as noisy, difficult-to-pronounce consonant heaps (first and second examples).
Cacophony in music
In music, cacophony basically means the same thing: a sequence of sounds which sounds unpleasant or disharmonic, with dissonances being regarded as cacophonic. A dissonance is called dissonance, which is perceived as a necessity for the listener.
However, here too, cacophony depends to a large extent on the recipient and its assessment. Thus, many modern works of art music are described as kakophon by the criticism or the listener. From a historical point of view, Richard Strauss’ opera “Elektra” has also been called the term. What is meant by this can be seen in the following example from the beginning.
From today’s point of view, Strauss’s work probably appears to be only conditionally cacophonic and less painful in his ears, as some of his contemporaries attested to him after the premiere in 1909. Nevertheless, the video above shows what is meant by the accusation in principle: here we can hear numerous sounds, which are played simultaneously or appear disharmonic in their sequence.
An increase of the term is found in a subgenre of music: noise. Noise ebbs largely on classical elements of music, such as the sound or sound and substitutes sounds in their place. Furthermore, the style is characterized by the absence of a structural melody and usually also of the rhythm.
The term is derived from English and can be translated with sound. Nevertheless, the genre differs from classic sound music (Bruitismus, Musique concrète) in that these styles are based on real noises. Noise confronts the listener with abstract noises and tries to exclude a similarity to real sounds.
The above example does not mean a whole series of noises. Nevertheless, cacophony can also be found here, if it is understood as a sequence of Misstones. It is interesting to note that this is a similarity to the sound poems of the literature. They are also used to describe the effects of sound on the sound and sound of the sound (see Onomatopoeia, section sound seal).
Short overview: The most important thing about cacophony at a glance
As a cacophony, a sequence of bad sounding sounds is described in music and literature. In terms of language, this means the use of equality. In the music mostly mestos are described as kakophon, which are felt to be in need of resolution.
In general, the term also describes the disagreement between persons in relation to a question or the disharmony within a group (see controversy). In December 2002, the former Federal Chancellor criticized politicians of his own coalition, who speculated on tax increases, saying: “This kind of cacophony is absolutely unacceptable to the common policy.”
Cacophony can be interpreted as a stylistic defect. If the use of the cocophonic elements is not the same as the cocophonic elements, then the cacophonic elements attract attention.
The linguistic counterpart, that is, the counterpart of the word, is the euphony: the harmony. In linguistics, inserts are thus referred to as words which contribute to the formation of sounds. For example, if you are looking for a syllable (Swedish, English, etc.). However, it is American. The additional acknowledgment of the hiatus and the better pronunciation. This is a form of euphony.
