Using non-literal descriptive words, sentences or phrases can help to add more intrigue to a written work. Similes, metaphors and other figures of speech are ways of including a little more complex connection to the text for a reader, as they will have to involve a little more brain power in deciphering the true meaning of the turns of phrase.
In this article, we’ll be covering some of the main types of figurative language to look out for, as well as examples of them and their meaning. It is important to note that there are cultural differences in figurative language with common turns of phrase, and this will by no means be a complete non-exhaustive investigation, but any further intrigue can be answered with good old fashioned research!
Accismus
Politeness, not wanting to burden your hosts or a devilish need for more reassurance could be reasons to undertake accismus – refusing something that has been offered, despite it being something very desirable. This is a way of humanising a character, and allowing them to subtly hint at alternative reasonings behind their behaviour to give clues about their true intentions.
Acutezza
Originating from Italian, the phrase acutezza refers to the use of wordplay within text. Used well, wordplay can be a point of reference for an audience to make them relate more to the text. When used really well, it can be a really clever way of persuading other characters or making a reference that isn’t overtly decipherable.
Acoloutha
Ever thought, ‘eh, close enough’ when completing a task you don’t really want to do, with lackluster efforts? That’s kind of like acoloutha, where replacing one word with another doesn’t change too much of its meaning on account of them being similar in meaning. Confused? Maybe the next entry (the opposite of acoloutha) may add some perspective…
Anacoluthon
As promised, the opposite of acoloutha is anacoluthon, or a dissonance within a sentence. This can take the form of an interruption, trailing off, or any other sudden change in structure or meaning for the second half of the sentence. It is often used in absurdist texts, with an excerpt from Lewis Carrol’s poem The Walrus and The Carpenter being a great example: ‘“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax — of cabbages — and kings…’”
Allusion
Using allusion within text is a way to subtly hint or otherwise indirectly reference a person, event, place or other such things. We did explore this a little in an earlier blog about hypo- and hypertext, but there can be overt allusion – which is any reference immediately recognisable and more secretive allusion, which may need a little more investigation under the surface to decipher.
Antanaclasis
Antanaclasis is a form of repetition where each use of the same phrase has a different meaning. It is usually used as a form of wordplay to contrast different meanings against each other – for example, a famous example is used by the cat food brand Felix in one of their old slogans, ‘Cats like Felix like Felix.’
Anthimeria
If you replace a noun with a verb (or vice versa, for that matter) then you are using anthimeria! Examples include ‘hounding your coworkers’ or being ‘to tied-up to help’. Anthimeria is a very creative way of providing vivid, imaginative language for passages and saucing up language with recognisable descriptions.
Apostrophizing
Not related to the punctuation mark, a character who addresses an inanimate object as if it was a person or absent/deceased character as if they were present is said to be apostrophizing. An oft-seen example of this (and another Hamlet callback) is when Hamlet speaks to Yorick’s skull during his soliloquy.
‘Ave we ‘ad ’em all?
The keen-eyed Impish Fans may have spotted that we only covered figurative language mechanisms beginning with one letter of the alphabet – so begins our fairly exhaustive look into neatly categorised ways of writing different stuff! See you in the next edition.
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