Lguistic Devices - Aice Lang

Context

The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.

Audience

The listener, viewer, or reader of a text.

Purpose

One's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.

Form

Type of writing, relates to shape and overall presentation of a text.

Genre

A category of artistic composition, as in film or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content.

Structure

The way a text is organized and ordered. It can relate to both the whole text and the features of the text.

Tone

A writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. It is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

Register

The formality or informality of language.

Alliteration

The repetition of an initial consonant sound. Ex - Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Peppers.

Allusion

A brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event -- real or fictional. Ex - he's such a Romeo! or My house- world war 2 (if adding a like or as will turn into a simile or metaphor)

Ambiguity / ambiguous

The quality or state of having more than one possible meaning, doubtful, equivocal; unclear, uncertain, open to more than one interpretation, not definitive, dubious. Ex - "Bill is Running" or "Jake saw her Duck"

Analogy

Reasoning or arguing from parallel cases. it is comparing two similar things and then explaining how they are related. Ex - "A glove is to a hand as a sock is to a foot" Or "Finding a good person is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Anaphora

The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses. EX - the martin luther king speech "i have a dream Or "I went to the store for some eggs. I went to the store for some meat. I went to the store for some vegetables": In this example, the anaphora is "I went to the store for"

Antithesis

An opposition, contrast. The rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences. For example: 'action, not words'. (the sentence have to be balanced)

Assonance

The identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words. Ex - lean, Mean, Fighting, Machine. (it is the rep of sound)

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. Ex - "He's stressed. He's overwhelmed. You might want to give him some space" Or "Reduce, reuse, recycle" and "Live, laugh, love"

Chiasmus

Presentation of thoughts or ideas first presented one way, then in reverse order. For example: 'Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.' ( in the first half country is first then you. in the second you is first and country is second.)

Cliché

A worn-out idea or overused expression. Ex - "all that glitters is not gold" or "Dimond in the rough" Or "easy as pie"

Colloquial

Characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English. Ex - Everyday language: "Wanna" for "want to", "gonna" for "going to" Or Phrases: "Over yonder" for "over there"

Connotation

The emotional implications and associations that a word may carry. Ex - the word Home can denote "a place where one lives" but can have connote feeling of warmth, security, and love.

Denotation

The direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings. Ex - ome: Denotes the place where someone lives, such as a house or apartment. Or Rose: Denotes a type of flower

Diction

The choice and use of words in speech or writing. For example: In response to a request that you do something, formal diction might sound like, "I will address that issue right away." Alternatively, using informal diction, the response would be more casual like, "You got it."

Ellipsis and dash

Indicate a pause of missing information. Ex - "What are you talking about—wait, Johnny said it was Maria!" The em dash shows the break in thought and is clean and abrupt" (, in a conversation where a character is stuttering, ellipses can convey the stutters.)

Epiphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses one after the other" Ex - "Im tired; hes tired; were all tired." Or "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" (has to be same length)

Euphemism

The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit. softening the blow Ex - instead of 'your fired get out' you can say "were going to have to let you go" Or Passed away: Instead of "died" Or Couch potato: Instead of "a lazy person" Or Make love: Instead of "sex"

Figurative language

Language in which figures of speech (e.g. metaphors, similes, and hyperbole) freely occur. Ex - "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" is a hyperbole Or "This house is a shoebox" is a metaphor Or "that news hit me like a ton of bricks," you are using figurative language; listeners understand the news you got was deeply moving.

Figures of speech

The various uses of language that depart from customary construction, order, or significance. Ex - Figurative language is a general term that refers to language that uses figures of speech, which are specific techniques. For example, "that news hit me like a ton of bricks" is figurative language, but the simile "it was like having some butterflies in my stomach" is a figure of speech

Flashback

A shift in a narrative to an earlier event that interrupts from the normal chronological development of a story. Ex - "A man is about to give a speech to a large audience on biology. Suddenly, he remembers playing with frogs and toads in his backyard as a curious child."

Foreshadowing

The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot. Ex - In children's literature, an author might mention dried-up grass, cracked boards, and flames to help readers predict that a house will catch fire.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement. Ex - "I was dying of laughter" or "The lesson was taking forevor"

Hypophora

A rhetorical term for a strategy in which a speaker or writer raises a question and then immediately answers it. "Who loves Vacation? I do!" Or "Whos a good boy? your a good boy!"

Idiom

A figure of speech that, when translated to another language, does not maintain its culturally/socially accepted meaning. Ex - "Break a leg" this sentenmce doesnt actually mean to break a leg it means good luck. Or "Beat around the bush" meaning Avoiding the main topic, not getting to the point. not actually beating someone or something around a bush.

Imagery

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses. Visual imagery: For example, "David stepped out of his car and thought the bright orange, beaming sunlight will make him blind" or Auditory imagery: For example, "Trees rustled in rhythm as the breeze whistled softly through the leaves"

Innuendo

An allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one. when insulting someone but the words covey it as the opposite. Ex - "your on time? oh wow! nice!" meaning that person is always late.

Invective

Denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something. flat out evil "hes so dumb, he doesnt know hes alive." Or "You dirty rotten scoundrel"

Irony

The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is directly contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea. Ex - "What a beautiful day!" while looking out the window at an alley. Or When the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected. For example, a pilot who is afraid of heights.

Jargon

The specialized language of a professional, occupation, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders. Ex - for plumbers terms like "elbow", "ABS", "sweating the pipes", "reducer", "flapper", "snake", and "rough-in" are commonly used but we dont know what they mean or say.

Juxtaposition

Placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. Ex - "All's fair in love and war"

Lexicon

A dictionary; a specialized vocabulary used in a particular field or place. Ex -

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common. "the world is a stage" or "Time is money" Or "the classroom was a zoo" or "heart of stone"

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated with (e.g. 'crown' for 'royalty'). Ex - white House = The country administration "the white house has put an announcement."

Mood

The quality of a verb that conveys the writer's attitude toward a subject; the emotion evoked by a text. ex - a story that begins "It was a dark and stormy night" will probably have an overall dark, ominous, or suspenseful mood.

Neologism

A new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses. taking two words to create something new. Ex - Brunch = lunch, breakfast Or Jorts = jean, shorts

Onomatopoeia

The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. ex - "clang" "bang" "moan" "Splash" "crash" "bark" "buzz" "boing" "knock"

Oxymoron

A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side. Ex - "small crowd" "minor crisis" "seriously funny" "silent scream" "bittersweet"

Paradox

A statement that appears to contradict itself. the contradiction has to make sense. Ex - "you have to spend money, to save money"

Parody

A humorous but recognizable imitation of literature, art, or music for the purpose of amusement or ridicule. Ex - "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show" parody newscasts by doing fake newscasts that look like the real thing.

Personification

A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities. Ex - " the akarm clock yells" "thunder was grumbling" "my heart danced" "opportunity knocked on his door"

Perspective

A point of view or general standpoint from which different things are viewed, physically or mentally; the appearance to the eye of various objects at a given time, place, or distance. Ex - perspective can be the writers or narrators perspective. like he narrator's perspective can also be considered unreliable or naïve. or persepective as in where or how your viewing a photo or art piece.

Point of View

The perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information. Ex - first-person, second-person, third-person objective, third-person omniscient, and third-person limited.

First person point of view

A character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself. Ex - Characters describing their experiences: "I woke up and knew at once that something was wrong".

Second person point of view

The narrator addresses the reader directly using the pronoun 'you'. Ex - "You feel your heart race, and the air around you seems to crystallize. But the only way forward is to move your feet"

Third person omniscient

Point of view in which an all-knowing narrator who is privy to the thoughts and actions of any or all characters. Ex - "As the campers settled into their tents, Zara hoped her eyes did not betray her fear, and Lisa silently wished for the night to quickly end"

polysyndeton

The use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural. Ex - "neither i, nor your mom, nor your dad, nor your teacher, nor your best friend, nor anyone can help you."

Prose

Ordinary writing (fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse. Ex - For example, "I walked about all alone over the hillsides" is prose, while "I wondered lonely as a cloud/that floats on high o'er vales and hills" is poetry.

Pun

A word employed in two senses, or a word used in a context that suggests a second term sounding like it. Puns are usually used for comic effect. Ex - "a horse is a very stable animal." Or

Repetition

An instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage -- dwelling on a point. Ex - "home sweet home." Or "time after time" or "I have a dream that my four little children will [...] I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia [...] I have a dream today!"

Sarcasm

A mocking, often ironic or satirical remark. Ex - "tell me something I don't know" "oh you dont say" "you've been sooo helpful.

Rhetorical question

A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer. Ex - "Is that really your plan?" "Can you imagine that?" "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

Satire

A kind of writing which ridicules human weaknesses, vice, or folly in order to bring about social reform. Ex - "When I was a boy, I was told that anybody could become President. Now I'm beginning to believe it."

Simile

A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by 'like' or 'as'. Ex - "as busy as a bee" Or "life is like a box of chocolates." Or "As sweet as sugar" Or " fight like cats and dogs"

Stream of consciousness

A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur. someone venting or expressing to the reader. "I have to get out of bed, but it would help if I had some reason, like a hot breakfast already waiting for me. Come to think of it, cold cereal sounds pretty good right now."

Symbol

A person, place, action, or thing that represents something other than itself. Ex - "the dove is a symbol of peace" or Black representing evil, water representing rebirth, and fall representing the passage of time

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole, the whole for a part, the specific for the general, the general for the specific, or even the material for the thing made from it. it is a ward that is connected or apart of the object. Ex - " i got a new set of wheels" wheels = car Or "there are many boot son the ground" boots = soldiers

Syntax

The study of the rules that govern the way words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences; the arrangement of words in a sentence. ex - A sentence with a single independent clause, such as "Tom went home" or "The girl is eating chips"

Text structure/organizational pattern

The relationship between ideas in a text. ex - Chronological.
Compare-contrast.
Cause-effect.
Problem-solution.
Claim-counterclaim.

Cause and effect

Two events are related as cause and effect when one event brings about the other. Ex - "A blizzard hit the city, so all the schools were closed". Or "I planted some sunflower seeds. Effect: Giant sunflowers grew along the fence"

Chronological order

The order in which events happen in time (sequence of events). Ideas are grouped on the basis order of time. Ex - "When I first woke up, I got dressed and went on a long run. Then, I got ready for the day and went to work. After I got to work, I realized that I had forgotten my lunch and purse"

Compare/contrast

Writing that examines the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. Transitions are used to signal these similarities and differences. ex - "Tammy enjoyed the holiday party. In comparison, James found it boring" Or "Kim and Tom have different tastes in music and food; however, they both like to dance"

Triadic Structure (list of three)

Three words, clauses or sentences given together in order to create a memorable impact. ex - her showman ship was superb, her timing, sensational, her dramatic instinct uncanny.

Voice

The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator. ex - "My father always speaks in a very loud voice." or "She has an extremely expressive singing voice."