Stylistic Devices PDF

► Stylistic devices Stylistic devices [sta1 1hst1k d1 1va1s1s] (also called LANGUAGE HELP rhetorica/ devices [n'tonkl d1 1va1s1s]) are methods and The author uses al/iteration / contrastlexaggeration /...

► Stylistic devices Stylistic devices [sta1 1hst1k d1 1va1s1s] (also called LANGUAGE HELP rhetorica/ devices [n'tonkl d1 1va1s1s]) are methods and The author uses al/iteration / contrastlexaggeration / techniques used to produce a particular effect. repetition... (uncountable nouns~. Stylistic devices may e.g. relate to sound In /ine 5 there is a metaphor/al/us1onlsymbo//rhetonca/ (e.g. *alliteration), structure (e.g. *repetition, question/pun (countable nouns) *parallelism) or *imagery. lmagery metaphor A metaphor is a comparison between Example: ['met~f~, 'met~fJ:] two things which are basically quite There's daggers in men's smiles. Metapher , unlike one another without using the words as or like (d. *simile). From: William Shakespeare, Macbeth personification Personification is the technique of representing animals or objects as if they were [p~ 1son1f1 1ke1Jn] human beings or possessed human qualities. Personifikation Example: 3 Love's not Time' s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending1 sickle' s2 compass come: / Love alters not with his briefhours and weeks, / But bears4 it out even to the edge5 of doom. 3 4 1 bending cuNed 2 sickle5iche/ compass Reichweite bear out sth. endure sth. 5 edge of doom end of time From: William Shakespeare, 'Sonnet 116', cf.Context, p.48 Here, both love and time are personified. Love in particular is described as a person with the appearance of 'rosy lips and cheeks'. simile [ s1m~li] 1 Like a *metaphor, a simile is a type of Example: Vergleich comparison. But while metaphors say that something is something eise, a My mistress eyes are nothing like the simile says that something is like some- sun. thing eise and uses the words like or as From: William Shakespeare, 'Sonnet 18' to draw the comparison. 372  Glossary bol ['simbl] Symbol A symbol is a thing, word or phrase signifying something concrete that stands not syrt1 only for itself but also for a certain abstract idea. As in the case of a *metaphor or a *simile the meaning of a symbol goes beyond the literal. Example: A red rose is often a symbol of love. TROUBLE SPOT symbo/ of sth. Not: symboljo, sth. sound alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of a sound, normally a consonant, at the beginning 1 [:l,ht~ re1Jn] of neighbouring words or of stressed syllables within such words, to produce a Alliteration usually rhythmic, but sometimes also comic effect. Example: Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran. assonance ['a:s:m~ns] Assonance is the repetition of the Example: Assonanz same or similar vowel sounds within Beside the Iake, beneath the trees, stressed syllables of neighbouring Fluttering and dancing in the bree-ze. words. From: William Wordsworth, 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the use of a word Example: [,on:,1ma:t~'pi:~1 which imitates the sounds it refers to, Only the stuttering mies' rapid rattle. Lautmalerei e.g. buzz or hum. In a group of words or a phrase it may evoke a particular From: Wilfred Owen, feeling, mood, sound or movement. 'Anthem for doomed youth' The repetition of 't's and 'r's sounds like the shooting of rifles, which the words describe. Structure accumulation Accumulation is a listing of words and expressions with similar meaning. Thus. the [3 kju:mj~'lc1/n] 1 words are emphasized or become more descriptive. Akkumulation, Example: Ansammlung Tben shall our names / Familiar in bis mouth as household words / Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter /Warwick and Talbot. Salisbury and Gloucester. / Be in their ftowing cups fresh1y remembered. From: William Shakespeare, H6tty V Thls excerpt dlsplays an accumulatlon of several addresses for 'King Harry. analogy [a'nel~3i] Analogy ls the comparison of two things which are slmilar in several aspects. By Analo,ie comparing an object, situatlon or person to somethlng familiar. the explanation becomes easler to understand. Example: Wbar, in aname? Tbat which we call a rose. / By any other word would smell as SWffl. / So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called. From: William Shakespeare, Romto nd Jul,~t Jullet states that Just like a rose that will always keep its sweet smell whichever name lt ts called, Romeo will stay the same even if he changes his name. 373  !411 Glossary ------------=--,--- ~"~-~~-~~_L-,~~~~------------~-~----- anaphora r~ nref~r~] Anaphora 1s a form of *parallellsm whlch Example: Anapher repeats the same word or group of words Come in, I say. 1, at the beglnning of successlve clauses. Come in and eat with us. From: lmtiaz Dharker, 'The right word', The Terrorist at My Table, 2006, p.25 enjambement Enjambement describes lncomplete Example: [m 1d3rembm~nt) syntax at the end of the line where the The child steps in Enjambement meaning runs over to the next line And carefully, at my door, without any punctuation at the end. Takes offhis shoes. An enjambement is also called run-on line. From: lmtiaz Dharker, 'The right word', The Terrorist at My Table, 2006, p.26 enumeration Enumeration is the listing of words, Example: Aufzählung phrases or ideas. In instructive or argu- go, myson, mentative texts the list of enumerated multiply, elements can be given numbers or bullet divide, conquer. points so the reader can see each new. w,, fOSW~ element clearly. From: Philip Levine, 'Corporate Head'; d. Context, p. 173 parallelism Parallelism is the deliberate repetition of Example: ('pa:r.,lehzam] similar or identical words, phrases, Which alters1 when it alteration finds, Parallelismus sentence constructions, etc. in the same Or bends with the remover to remove2. or neighbouring sentences. Parallelism draws the attention of the reader to 1 alter change 2 certain ideas that the writer may consid- remover person who goes away er important. lt may be used to show 0 that the elements are of similar impor- From: William Shakespeare, 'Sonnet 116', tance, or it may be used in a climactic d. Context, p. 48, II. 3-4 sequence, with the most important element listed at the end. repetition Repetition is the deliberate use of a word or phrase more than once In a sentence Wiederholuni or a text to create _a sense of pattern or form, or to emphasize certain elements for the reader or listener. Miscellaneous allusion [a'lu:3n] Allusion is the direct or indlrect reference to somethlng or somebody the reader or Allusion, Anspie/uni listener is supposed to recognlze and respond to. An alluslon may be to a work of llterature, a historical event, a rellglous text like the Blble, etc. Example: 'This place ls llke the garden of Eden'. Thls alluslon refers to the 'garden of God', i.e. paradlse, whlch appears in the Bible. dichl ('kli:Jel] A cliche denotes the fact that an expresslon has been overused to the extent that the original meanlng has been lost. lt may also refer to predictable events or actions. 374 i:1  eration Exaggeration is the use of a strong e)(cl gg Example: zred3:)'re1Jn] overSt atement. lt may be used to create r1g. I fear the day technology will surpass our : 0bertreibung either a serious or comic effect. A single phrase containing an exaggeration is human interaction. Tue world will have ~ called hyperbole [hAi'p:nb~Ii]. (cf. also a generation of idiots. *understatement) jronY ['alf:}ni] lrony is the term used when a person makes fun of somebody or something with- Jronie out openly doing so. A person using irony may use certain words and actually mean the opposite of what those words normally mean. Also, a person may appear t~ support someone or something while at the same time making it clear (e.g. by his or her tone of voice) that he or she is actually criticizing or revealing the contra- dictions in the other person's behaviour. A text which uses irony to ridicule or make fun of an institution, person, set of beliefs, etc. is called a satire ['sreta1~]. juxtaposition Juxtaposition is a very strong contrast ['kontro:st] of opposing ideas, arguments, [.d3Akst:)p~'z1Jn] views, mostly introduced by words like but, however or nevertheless. Gegenü berste/lung ~hetorical question A rhetorical question is a question to Example: rhetorische Frage which the answer seems obvious and is What do the changes mean? They can therefore not necessary. Such questions either strengthen and unite us, or they push the reader or listener to a certain can weaken and divide us. conclusion. As such they are popular in e:w. 1 WC, PWWW S i #M Q Qk Ä i JU St C 4 political *speeches, etc. when a person From: William J. Clinton, 'Commencement is trying to influence others. Address at Portland State University'; d. Context, p.110, II. 27-28 Here the rhetorical question is used to draw the reader/listener into the argu- ment by posing a direct question. The reader/listener might feel a little under pressure, even manipulated to answer the question in a specific way. understatement Understatement is a statement in which the true magnitude of an idea, event or Untertreibung fact is minimized, so that something is deliberately presented as being much less important, valuable, etc. than it really is. Understatement is often used for itironic effect, e.g. saying 'lt is a bit cold today', when the temperature is 10 degrees below freezing. (d. also *exaggeration) wordplay or pun [pAD] wordplay (also called pun) is the use of a word which may be understood in two Wortspiel different ways or which may be put into a different context to alter the meaning. Example: The magiclan got so mad that he pulled his hair out. Here, the word hair alludes to hare (= Hase), an animal commonly assoclated with magicians. 375