修辞学的术语

AGlossaryofRhetoricalTermswithExamples

Socrates:Thefactis,aswesaidatthebeginningofourdiscussion,thattheaspiringspeakerneedsnoknowledgeofthetruthaboutwhatisrightorgood...Incourtsofjusticenoattentionispaidwhatevertothetruthaboutsuchtopics;allthatmattersisplausibility...Thereareevensomeoccasionswhenbothprosecutionanddefenceshouldpositivelysuppressthefactsinfavorofprobability,ifthefactsareimprobable.Nevermindthetruth--pursueprobabilitythroughthickandthinineverykindofspeech;thewholesecretoftheartofspeakingliesinconsistentadherencetothisprinciple.

Phaedrus:Thatiswhatthosewhoclaimtobeprofessionalteachersofrhetoricactuallysay,Socrates.

—Plato,Phaedrus272

Alliteration

Anacoluthon

Anadiplosis

Anaphora

Anastrophe

Antistrophe

Antithesis

Aporia

Aposiopesis

Apostrophe

Archaism

Assonance

Asyndeton

Brachylogy

Cacophony

Catachresis

Chiasmus

Climax

Euphemism

Hendiadys

Hypallage

Hyperbaton

Hyperbole

Hysteron-Proteron

Irony

Litotes

Metaphor

Metonymy

Onomatopoeia

Oxymoron

Paradox

Paraprosdokian

Paronomasia

Personification

Pleonasm

Polysyndeton

Praeteritio

Prolepsis

Simile

Syllepsis

Synchysis

Synecdoche

Synesis

Tautology

Zeugma

MoreTermsSelectedfromFigureofSpeech

Alliteration:repetitionofthesamesoundbeginningseveralwordsinsequence.

*Letusgoforthtoleadthelandwelove.J.F.Kennedy,Inaugural*Virivalidiscumviribusluctant.Ennius*Veni,vidi,vici.JuliusCaesarAnacoluthon:lackofgrammaticalsequence;achangeinthegrammaticalconstructionwithinthesamesentence.

*Agreementsenteredintowhenonestateoffactsexists--aretheytobemaintainedregardlessofchangingconditions?J.DiefenbakerAnadiplosis:("doublingback")therhetoricalrepetitionofoneorseveralwords;specifically,repetitionofawordthatendsoneclauseatthebeginningofthenext.

*Meningreatplacearethriceservants:servantsofthesovereignorstate;servantsoffame;andservantsofbusiness.FrancisBacon*Senatushaecintellegit,consulvidet;hictamenvivit.Vivit?Immoveroetiaminsenatumvenit.Cicero,InCatilinamAnaphora:therepetitionofawordorphraseatthebeginningofsuccessivephrases,clausesorlines.

*Weshallnotflagorfail.Weshallgoontotheend.WeshallfightinFrance,weshallfightontheseasandoceans,weshallfightwithgrowingconfidenceandgrowingstrengthintheair,weshalldefendourisland,whateverthecostmaybe,weshallfightonthebeaches,weshallfightonthelandinggrounds,weshallfightinthefieldsandinthestreets,weshallfightinthehills.Weshallneversurrender.Churchill.

*Nihilagis,nihilmoliris,nihilcogitas,quodnonegononmodoaudiam,sedetiamvideamplanequesentiam.Cicero,InCatilinamAnastrophe:transpositionofnormalwordorder;mostoftenfoundinLatininthecaseofprepositionsandthewordstheycontrol.Anastropheisaformofhyperbaton.

*Thehelmsmansteered;theshipmovedon;yetneverabreezeupblew.

Coleridge,TheRimeoftheAncientMariner*Isdeminoppidis,CiceroAntistrophe:repetitionofthesamewordorphraseattheendofsuccessiveclauses.

*In1931,tenyearsago,JapaninvadedManchukuo--withoutwarning.

In1935,ItalyinvadedEthiopia--withoutwarning.In1938,HitleroccupiedAustria--withoutwarning.In1939,HitlerinvadedCzechoslovakia--withoutwarning.Laterin1939,HitlerinvadedPoland--withoutwarning.AndnowJapanhasattackedMalayaandThailand--andtheUnitedStates--withoutwarning.FranklinD.RooseveltAntithesis:opposition,orcontrastofideasorwordsinabalancedorparallelconstruction.

*Extremismindefenseoflibertyisnovice,moderationinthepursuitofjusticeisnovirtue.BarryGoldwater*Brutus:NotthatIlovedCaesarless,butthatIlovedRomemore.Shakespeare,JuliusCaesar*Thevasesoftheclassicalperiodarebutthereflectionofclassicalbeauty;thevasesofthearchaicperiodarebeautyitself."SirJohnBeazleyAporia:expressionofdoubt(oftenfeigned)bywhichaspeakerappearsuncertainastowhatheshouldthink,say,ordo.

*Thenthestewardsaidwithinhimself,'WhatshallIdo?'Luke16Aposiopesis:aformofellipsebywhichaspeakercomestoanabrupthalt,seeminglyovercomebypassion(fear,excitement,etc.)ormodesty.

Apostrophe:asuddenturnfromthegeneralaudiencetoaddressaspecificgrouporpersonorpersonifiedabstractionabsentorpresent.

*ForBrutus,asyouknow,wasCaesar'sangel.

Judge,Oyougods,howdearlyCaesarlovedhim.Shakespeare,JuliusCaesarArchaism:useofanolderorobsoleteform.

*Pipitsateuprightinherchair

SomedistancefromwhereIwassitting;T.S.Eliot,"ACookingEgg"Assonance:repetitionofthesamesoundinwordsclosetoeachother.

*Thykingdomcome,thywillbedone.

*OfortunatamnatammeconsuleRomam!Cicero,deconsulatuAsyndeton:lackofconjunctionsbetweencoordinatephrases,clauses,orwords.

*Weshallpayanyprice,bearanyburden,meetanyhardships,supportanyfriend,opposeanyfoetoassurethesurvivalandthesuccessofliberty.J.F.Kennedy,Inaugural

*But,inalargersense,wecannotdedicate,wecannotconsecrate,

wecannothallowthisground.Lincoln,GettysburgAddressBrachylogy:ageneraltermforabbreviatedorcondensedexpression,ofwhichasyndetonandzeugmaaretypes.Ellipseisoftenusedsynonymously.Thesuppressedwordorphrasecanusuallybesuppliedeasilyfromthesurroundingcontext.

*Aeolushaeccontra:Vergil,Aeneid

*NonCinnae,nonSullaelongadominatio.Tacitus,AnnalesI.1Cacophony:harshjoiningofsounds.

*Wewantnoparlaywithyouandyourgrislygangwhoworkyourwickedwill.W.Churchill

*OTitetuteTatitibitantatyrannetulisti!EnniusCatachresis:aharshmetaphorinvolvingtheuseofawordbeyonditsstrictsphere.

*Ilistenvainly,butwiththirstyear.MacArthur,FarewellAddress

*Cynthiaprimasuismiserummecepitocellis.PropertiusI.1.1Chiasmus:twocorrespondingpairsarrangednotinparallels(a-b-a-b)butininvertedorder(a-b-b-a);fromshapeoftheGreekletterchi(X).

*Thosegallantmenwillremainofteninmythoughtsandinmyprayersalways.MacArthur*Renown'dforconquest,andincouncilskill'd.Addisonetpacisornamentaetsubsidiabelli.Cicero,ProlegeManiliaClimax:arrangementofwords,phrases,orclausesinanorderofascendingpower.Oftenthelastemphaticwordinonephraseorclauseisrepeatedasthefirstemphaticwordofthenext.

*Oneequaltemperofheroichearts,Madeweakbytimeandfate,butstronginwill

Tostrive,toseek,tofind,andnottoyield.Tennyson,Ulysses*Nonnehuncinvinculaduci,nonadmortemrapi,nonsummosuppliciomactariimperabis?Cicero,InCatilinam*FacinusestvincerecivemRomanum;scelusverberare;propeparricidiumnecare:quiddicamincrucemtollere?verbosatisdignotamnefariaresappellarinullomodopotest.Cicero,InVerremEuphemism:substitutionofanagreeableoratleastnon-offensiveexpressionforonewhoseplainermeaningmightbeharshorunpleasant.

*Whenthefinalnewscame,etoinformherthatunfortunatelysomethinghashappenedoutthere,andherhusband'sbodynowliesincineratedintheswampsorthepinesorthepalmettograss,"burnedbeyondrecognition,"whichanyonewhohadbeenaroundanairbaseverylong(fortunatelyJanehadnot)realizedwasquiteanartfuleuphemismtodescribeahumanbodythatnowlookedlikeanenormousfowlthathasburnedupinastove,burnedablackishbrownallover,greasyandblistered,fried,inaword,withnotonlytheentirefaceandallthehairandtheearsburnedoff,nottomentionalltheclothing,butalsothehandsandfeet,withwhatremainsofthearmsandlegsbentatthekneesandelbowsandburnedintoabsolutelyrigidangles,burnedagreasyblackishbrownliketheburstingbodyitself,sothatthishusband,father,officer,gentleman,thisornamentumofsomemother'seye,HisMajestytheBabyofjusttwenty-oddyearsback,hasbeenreducedtoacharredhulkwithwingsandshanksstickingoutofit.TomWolfe,TheRightStuffHendiadys:useoftwowordsconnectedbyaconjunction,insteadofsubordinatingonetotheother,toexpressasinglecomplexidea.

*Itsureisniceandcooltoday!(for"pleasantlycool")*IlovetheLord,becausehehathheardmyvoiceandmysupplications.Psalms116*Perfectioratorismoderationeetsapientia.Cicero,DeoratoreHypallage:("exchanging")transferredepithet;grammaticalagreementofawordwithanotherwordwhichitdoesnotlogicallyqualify.Morecommoninpoetry.

*Exegimonumentumaereperenniusregaliquesitupyramidumaltius,Horace,OdesIII.30Hyperbaton:separationofwordswhichbelongtogether,oftentoemphasizethefirstoftheseparatedwordsortocreateacertainimage.

*SpeluncamDidoduxetTroianuseandemVergil,Aeneid4.124,165Hyperbole:exaggerationforemphasisorforrhetoricaleffect.

*MyvegetableloveshouldgrowVasterthanempires,andmoreslow;AnhundredyearsshouldgottopraiseThineeyesandonthineforeheadgaze;Twohundredtoadoreeachbreast,Butthirtythousandtotherest.AndrewMarvell,"ToHisCoyMistress"*Damibasiamille,deindecentum,Deinmillealtera,deinsecundacentum,Deindeusquealteramille,deindecentum.Catullus,tohis.

HysteronProteron("later-earlier"):inversionofthenaturalsequenceofevents,oftenmeanttostresstheeventwhich,thoughlaterintime,isconsideredthemoreimportant.

*Putonyourshoesandsocks!

*HannibalinAfricamredireatqueItaliadecederecoactusest.

Cicero,InCatilinamIrony:expressionofsomethingwhichiscontrarytotheintendedmeaning;thewordssayonethingbutmeananother.

*YetBrutussayshewasambitious;

AndBrutusisanhonourableman.Shakespeare,JuliusCaesarLitotes:understatement,forintensification,bydenyingthecontraryofthethingbeingaffirmed.(Sometimesusedsynonymouslywithmeiosis.)*Afewunannouncedquizzesarenotinconceivable.

*Warisnothealthyforchildrenandotherlivingthings.

*Onenuclearbombcanruinyourwholeday.(meiosis)Metaphor:impliedcomparisonachievedthroughafigurativeuseofwords;thewordisusednotinitsliteralsense,butinoneanalogoustoit.

*Life'sbutawalkingshadow;apoorplayer,Thatstrutsandfretshishouruponthestage.Shakespeare,Macbeth*...whilehelearnedthelanguage(thatmeagerandfragilethread...bywhichthelittlesurfacecornersandedgesofmen'ssecretandsolitarylivesmaybejoinedforaninstantnowandthenbeforesinkingbackintothedarkness...)Faulkner,Absalom,Absalom!

*FromStettinintheBaltictoTriesteintheAdriatic,anironcurtainhasdescendedacrossthecontinent.W.ChurchillMetonymy:substitutionofonewordforanotherwhichitsuggests.

*Heisamanofthecloth.

*Thepenismightierthanthesword.

*Bythesweatofthybrowthoushalteatthybread.

Onomatopoeia:useofwordstoimitatenaturalsounds;accommodationofsoundtosense.

*Attubaterribilisonitutaratantaradixit.EnniusOxymoron:apparentparadoxachievedbythejuxtapositionofwordswhichseemtocontradictoneanother.

*Festinalente.

*Imustbecruelonlytobekind.Shakespeare,HamletParadox:anassertionseeminglyopposedtocommonsense,butthatmayyethavesometruthinit.

*Whatapitythatyouthmustbewastedontheyoung.GeorgeBernardShawParaprosdokian:surpriseorunexpectedendingofaphraseorseries.

*Hewasathisbestwhenthegoingwasgood.AlistairCookeontheDukeofWindsor*TherebutforthegraceofGod--goesGod.Churchill*Laudandus,ornandus,tollendus.CiceroonOctavianParonomasia:useofsimilarsoundingwords;oftenetymologicalword-play.*...culledcash,orcoldcash,andthenitturnedintoagoldcache.E.L.Doctorow,BillyBathgate*ThouartPeter(Greekpetros),anduponthisrock(Greekpetra)Ishallbuildmychurch.Matthew16*ThedyingMercutio:Askformetomorrowandyoushallfindmeagraveman.Shakespeare,RomeoandJuliet

*Hicestsepulcrumhaudpulchrumfeminaepulchrae.Personification:attributionofpersonalitytoanimpersonalthing.

*Englandexpectseverymantodohisduty.LordNelson*Nunctepatria,quaecommunisestparensomniumnostrum,oditacmetuitetiamdiunihilteiudicatnisideparricidiosuocogitare.Cicero,InCatilinamPleonasm:useofsuperfluousorredundantwords,oftenenrichingthethought.

*Noone,richorpoor,willbeexcepted.

*Earspiercedwhileyouwait!

*IhaveseennostrangersightsinceIwasborn.

Polysyndeton:therepetitionofconjunctionsinaseriesofcoordinatewords,phrases,orclauses.

*Isaid,"Whokilledhim?"andhesaid,"Idon'tknowwhokilledhimbuthe'sdeadallright,"anditwasdarkandtherewaswaterstandinginthestreetandnolightsandwindowsbrokeandboatsallupinthetownandtreesblowndownandeverythingallblownandIgotaskiffandwentoutandfoundmyboatwhereIhadherinsideMangoBayandshewasallrightonlyshewasfullofwater.Hemingway,AftertheStorm*omniaMercuriosimilis,vocemquecoloremqueetcrinisflavosetmembradecoraiuventaeVergil,Aeneid4.558-9*Horaequidemceduntetdiesetmensesetanni,necpraeteritumtempusumquamrevertitur,necquidsequatursciripotest.Cicero,DesenectutePraeteritio(=paraleipsis):pretendedomissionforrhetoricaleffect.

*Thatpartofourhistorydetailingthemilitaryachievementswhichgaveusourseveralpossessions...isathemetoofamiliartomylistenersformetodilateon,andIshallthereforepassitby.Thucydides,"FuneralOration"*LetusmakenojudgmentontheeventsofChappaquiddick,sincethefactsarenotyetallin.ApoliticalopponentofSenatorEdwardKennedyProlepsis:theanticipation,inadjectivesornouns,oftheresultoftheactionofaverb;also,thepositioningofarelativeclausebeforeitsantecedent.

*Vixietquemdederatcursumfortunaperegi,Vergil,Aeneid4.653*Considertheliliesofthefieldhowtheygrow.

Simile:anexplicitcomparisonbetweentwothingsusing'like'or'as'.

*Myloveisasafever,longingstillForthatwhichlongernurseththedisease,Shakespeare,SonnetCXLVII*