Language techniques Flashcards
Aesthetically
Language that is beautiful, artistic & carefully crafted with a poetic rhythm & flow
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
Ambiguity
can be understood in two or more possible senses or ways
Anthropomorphism
the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object
Antithesis
a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
Conjunction
a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses
Connotations
an idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning
Contrast
The state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association
Dialogue
a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play, or film
Emotive language
words or phrases that change the feel of a sentence through evoking a particular emotional reaction from the reader
Enjambment
The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
Epigraph
a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme
Foreshadowing
be a warning or indication of (a future event)
Gaps (silences)
Gaps are places where the text does not bother to stitch things together but instead relies on “common sense” assumptions from the reader
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally
Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
Imperative
a grammatical mood that forms a command or request
Interjection
an abrupt remark, especially as an aside or interruption
Irony
on the surface differs radically from what is actually the cas
Metonymy
a thing or concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept
Modality
the selection of words used to express how definite we are about something
Nominalisation
a noun phrase generated from another word class, usually a verb
Pathos
Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them
Parallels
using the same pattern of words to show that two or more words or ideas are of equal importance
Pathetic fallacy
the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or animals, especially in art and literature
Patterns (language)
words on the page are used to create patterns that lead to understanding the deeper meaning of the text
Periphrasis
the usage of multiple separate words to carry the meaning of prefixes, suffixes or verbs
Personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
Polysyndeton
When conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or) are used repeatedly in quick succession, often with no commas, even when the conjunctions could be removed.
Register
the degree of formality of language
Repetition
The repeating of a word, within a short space of words, with no particular placement of the words to secure emphasis
Structure
the arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence
Style of writing
how the writer chooses to express himself or herself through writing
Symbolism
the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities
Syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language
Tone
the tone of a literary work expresses the writer’s attitude toward or feelings about the subject matter and audience
Zoomorphism
When animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, and events; and animal features are ascribed to humans, gods, and other objects
Pastiche
The taking of various ideas from previous writings and literary styles and pasting them together to make new styles.
Intertextuality
he acknowledgment of previous literary works within another literary work.
Metafiction
The act of writing about writing or making readers aware of the fictional nature of the very fiction they’re reading.
Temporal distortion
The use of non-linear timelines and narrative techniques in a story.
Minamilism
The use of characters and events which are decidedly common and non-exceptional characters.
Maximalism
Disorganized, lengthy, highly detailed writing
Magical realism
The introduction of impossible or unrealistic events into a narrative that is otherwise realistic.
Faction
The mixing of actual historical events with fictional events without clearly defining what is factual and what is fictional.
Reader involvement
Often through direct address to the reader and the open acknowledgment of the fictional nature of the events being described.
Relativism
the idea that views are relative to differences in perception and consideration.
Poioumenon:
A specific type of metafiction in which the story is about the process of creation (sometimes the creation of the story itself).
