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Stylistic devices
Repetition and Variation
stylistic device definition translation example effect
alliteration recurrence of initial sound Alliteration “The fair breeze blew,
the white foam flew.”
to convey auditory images
accumulation series of expressions (adjectives,
cliches, examples, images) that
contribute increasingly to meaning
Anhäufung “He came, saw, fought and won” to make the language livelier
anaphora repetition of first word(s) of line/clause Anapher In every town, in every house in
every man, in every woman and in
every child .....
• to stress the main point
• often used in speeches
leitmotif a dominant recurrent theme (word,
phrase, emotion, idea) associated
with a certain idea, person or situation
and accompanying its/his/her
reappearance throughout the text
Leitmotiv gives the text a structure and
stresses the theme by repeating it
climax the point of highest dramatic tension
or a major turning point in the action
of the text or the point of greatest
dramatic interest in a play
Höhepunkt • climatic text structuring means
arranging material in order of
importance, with the most
important arguments coming last
Contrast
euphemism figure of speech intended to hide the
real nature of s.th. unpleasant or
taboo by using a mild or indirect
expression
Euphemismus
(Beschönigung)
“He passed away” for “he died”
“... the underprivileged” for “... the
poor”
it may be necessary to spare a
person´s feelings but it often
originates in prudery or a false sense
of refinement
oxymoron combination of two terms which are
contradictory in meaning
Oxymoron
(Scheinwider-
spruch)
“eloquent silence” to express complex things or to unite
contrasting things
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paradox seemingly self-contradictory or absurd
statement which in fact establishes a
more complex level of meaning by
way of association
Paradoxon “I see it feelingly”
“So fair and foul a day I have not
seen” (Shakespeare, Macbeth)
it may be found to contain some truth
on closer examination
antithesis a rhetorical figure which denotes the
opposing of ideas by means of
grammatical parallel arrangements of
words, clauses or sentences
Antithese “God made the country and man
made the towns”
produce an effective contrast
anti-climax a sudden transition from the idea of
significance or dignity to an idea trivial
or ludicrous by comparison
“The love of God, justice and sports
cars ......”
produce a humorous effect
rhetorical question an assertion in the form of a question
which strongly suggests a particular
response
Rhetorische Frage “Who does nor love this country?” (=
of course everybody loves his
country)
• give the listener the false
impression of taking part in a
debate
• used to bring liveliness into a
speech
Imagery and Analogy
onomatopoeia sound(s) imitative of thing(s) they refer
to
Wortmalerei “engines roar” imagination
metaphor a reduced or implied comparison
between phenomena not normally
associated with each other
Not a simile (with like)
Metapher “... the sand of time...”
“All the world´s a stage
And all the men and woman merely
players...” (Shakespeare)
enriches the language (good style)
symbol denotes a concrete thing that stands
for s.th. immaterial, invisible or
abstract
Symbol rose as a symbol of love
white as a symbol of innocence
connotation
implication
implies additional meaning(s) of a
word or phrase along with or apart
from what it explicitly names or
describes
Konnotation
Andeutung
the word “hearth” which literally
means “the floor of a fireplace”
suggests in addition “the fireside,
warmth, safety)
gives the reader an association
metonymy
[-`- - -]
the object meant is not explicitly
named but rather substituted by a
closely associated feature, a
characteristic part or a proper name
Metonymie
(Namensvertausc
hung,
Umbenennung)
“He could feel the steel going right
through him” steel instead of dagger
or knife
aristocracy instead of the aristocrats
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personification figure of speech in which inanimate
object, abstract concepts or living
things (plants, animals) are referred to
as if they were human beings
Personifikation “Justice is blind”
“Necessity is the mother of
invention”
“The sun stepped out of the clouds
and smiled momentarily”
gives things life or some similarity
with human beings
pun a humorous play of words which are
either identical or similar in sound but
are very different in meaning
Wortspiel “Is life worth living? It depends on
the liver!” (1) liver as the organ (2)
liver as one who lives
• humorous
• to make the reader laugh
simile an explicit comparison (using as or
like) between two distinctly different
things which have at least one feature
in common
Vergleich ... as dead as a mutton ...
... as fit as a fiddle ...
... like a bull in a china shop ...
“I wandered lonely as a cloud...”
(Wordsworth)
the reader´s imagination must be
stirred by a simile
example serves to illustrate an abstract rule or
acts as an exercise in the application
of this rule
Beispiel • often used in speeches
• a special case is given to serve
for a general statement
Other stylistic devices
hyperbole a figure of speech using exaggeration Hyperbel
Übertreibung
`I loved Ophelia: forty thousand
brothers could not, with all their
quantity of love make up my sum.´
(Shakespeare)
not to persuade or to deceive, but to
emphasize a feeling or to produce a
humorous effect. It is not to be taken
literally.
understatement
litotes
understatement is the reverse of
exaggeration. It is a statement below
the truth
Litotes is a type of understatement
which expresses an affirmative idea
by negation of its opposites
Untertreibung
Litotes
“That´s rather nice” =great
It is pouring with rain and the streets
are flooded: “Bit wet today, isn´t it?”
It was not a bad party at all = it was
a excellent party
• to give special emphasis to a
situation or idea
• humorous
irony figure of speech by which the writer
says the opposite of what he means
Ironie • is often used to blame
• will draw attention to its actual
meaning
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tone Denotes the accent or inflection of the
voice as adapted to the emotion or
passion expressed, also used for the
style or manner of approach in
speaking or writing in general
Ton The tone can be:
colloquial, ironical, serious, earnest,
humorous etc.
it reflects the mood of the author and
his attitude towards his subject
ambiguity In deceptive rhetoric it is the deliberate
wording of a phrase or passage in
such a way that it can be taken in two
ways
Doppeldeutigkeit,
Zweideutigkeit
to hide the truth or to leave the
reader uncertain about the author´s
real attitude
flashback a literary or theatrical technique that
involves the interruption of the
chronological sequence of events. At
this point earlier scenes or events are
interjected.
Rückblende to give a vivid picture of the (hero´s)
past
anticipation the reverse of the flashback. The
author interrupts the chronological
sequence of events to present or
allude to events which will happen in
the relative future.
Vorwegnahme The author´s aim is to make
developments transparent, quite
often with emotional overtones.
ellipsis shortening of a sentence by the
omission of one or more words that
may be easily understood from the
context.
Ellipse
(Auslassung)
used to avoid repetition but also
used for artistic effect
allusion allusion is an implied indication. It
denotes an indirect reference to
people or things outside the text
without mentioning them in a
straightforward way.
Anspielung the reader is expected to think about
the situation himself and to have a
certain knowledge.
satire Satire is a piece or form of writing
based on the use of humour, irony or
sarcasm
Satire used to expose and discourage vice
and to ridicule foolish ideas or habits.
Satirical writing is always didactic.
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Stylisticdevices

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