4 Poetry 3

Rhetorical Figure

An artful deviation from ordinary language for effect; includes both tropes and schemes

Tropes

Rhetorical figures that change the meaning of words; focus on semantic deviation

Schemes

Rhetorical figures that change the structure, order, or sound of language; focus on syntactic or phonological deviation

Are there only two classical categories

Yes, traditionally rhetorical figures are divided into tropes and schemes

Modern classification of rhetorical figures

Modern linguistics adds dimensions like morphological, syntactic, semantic, phonological, and pragmatic figures

Morphological Figures

Figures that play with the form or structure of words (Type of Scheme)
e.g. polyptoton: "With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder"
e.g. derivation: "With deceitful dealings he dealt deceitfully"

Syntactic Figures

Figures that manipulate sentence structure or word order (Type of Scheme)
e.g. anaphora: "We shall fight… We shall go on…"
e.g. chiasmus: "Ask not what your country can do for you…"

Semantic Figures

Figures that play with meaning; (Literally Tropes)
e.g. metaphor: "Time is a thief"
e.g. irony: "What a genius!" after someone fails

Phonological Figures

Figures based on the sound of words (Type of Scheme)
e.g. alliteration: "Peter Piper picked a peck"
e.g. assonance: "Men sell the wedding bells"

Pragmatic Figures

Figures that consider speaker intention and context (≠ Tropes or Schemes)
e.g. rhetorical question: "Are you serious?"
e.g. irony: "Lovely weather!" during a storm
e.g. understatement: "It’s just a scratch" (for a large wound)

Polyptoton (Morphological)

Repetition of the same root word in different forms; e.g. "With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder"

Derivation (Morphological)

Repetition of words derived from the same root in different forms; e.g. "With deceitful dealings he dealt deceitfully"

Anaphora (Syntactic)

Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses; e.g. "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight…"

Chiasmus (Syntactic)

Inverted parallel structure; e.g. "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

Metaphor (Semantic)

Saying one thing is another to imply a deeper meaning; e.g. "Time is a thief that steals our moments."

Irony (Semantic/Pragmatic)

Saying the opposite of what one means, often for humor or criticism; e.g. saying "Lovely weather!" during a thunderstorm

Alliteration (Phonological)

Repetition of initial consonant sounds; e.g. "She sells seashells by the seashore"

Assonance (Phonological)

Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words; e.g. "Hear the mellow wedding bells"

Rhetorical Question (Pragmatic)

A question asked for effect, not for an answer; e.g. "Isn't it obvious?"

Understatement (Pragmatic)

Deliberately making something seem less important or intense than it is; e.g. saying "It’s a bit chilly" in freezing temperatures

Derivation vs Alliteration

Derivation involves repeated use of words from the same root (e.g. deceitful / dealt / dealings); it's morphological and meaning-based.
Alliteration involves repeated initial consonant sounds (e.g. Peter Piper picked…), and is phonological and sound-based.