AICE English Language - Linguistic Devices
perspective
(n.) 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
stream of consciousness
A literary technique that presents the thoughts and feelings of a character as they occur.
rhetorical question
A question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
Low Diction
A simpler, less cultivated speaker who uses literal nouns and less grammatical complexity than high diction.
High Diction
A sophisticated or educated speaker who uses abstract nouns or complex figures of speech and demands greater intellectual effort from the audience.
Dialogue
Conversation between characters
purpose
One's intention or objective in a speech or piece of writing.
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.
Evidentiary logic
Presenting evidence in a logically structured manner in order to support a critical position.
context
The circumstances, atmosphere, attitudes, and events surrounding a text.
register
The formality or informality of language
allusion
a brief, usually indirect reference to a person, place, or event -- real or fictional
Genre
a category of artistic composition, as in film or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content
first person point of view
a character in the story is actually telling the story himself/herself
qualification
a condition or exception
assertion
a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief
lexicon
a dictionary; a specialized vocabulary used in a particular field or place
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
Understatement
a figure of speech in which a writer deliberately makes a situation seem less important or serious than it is
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common
Personification
a figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities
Hyperbole
a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side
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)
Simile
a figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by "like" or "as"
Idiom
a figure of speech that, when translated to another language, does not maintain its culturally/socially accepted meaning
Sarcasm
a mocking, often ironic or satirical remark
neologism
a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
Symbol
a person, place, action, or thing that represents something other than itself
question tag
a phrase that is added to the end of a sentence to make it a question, or to check that someone agrees with the statement just made, e.g. It's very cold, isn't it? It isn't very far, is it?
Hypophora
a rhetorical term for a strategy in which a speaker or writer raises a question and then immediately answers it
Flashback
a shift in a narrative to an earlier event that interrupts from the normal chronological development of a story
Paradox
a statement that appears to contradict itself
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
cliche
a worn-out idea or overused expression
Tone
a writer's attitude toward the subject and audience. It is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality
innuendo
an allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one
Repetition
an instance of using a word, phrase, or clause more than once in a short passage -- dwelling on a point
Colloquial
characteristic of writing that seeks the effect of informal spoken language as distinct from formal or literary English
Invective
denunciatory or abusive language; discourse that casts blame on somebody or something
Amplification
involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over
Figurative Language
language in which figures of speech (e.g. metaphors, similes, and hyperbole) freely occur
Style
narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament speech or writing; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing
Prose
ordinary writing (fiction and nonfiction) as distinguished from verse
Juxtaposition
placing dissimilar items, descriptions, or ideas close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
analogy
reasoning or arguing from parallel cases
(verb) tense
tells the time of the action (past, present, future)
Diction
the choice and use of words in speech or writing
Denotation
the direct or dictionary meaning of a word, in contrast to its figurative or associated meanings
Voice
the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator
Connotation
the emotional implications and associations that a word may carry
Onomatopoeia
the formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
Assonance
the identity or similarity in sound between internal vowels in neighboring words
audience
the listener, viewer, or reader of a text
second person point of view
the narrator addresses the reader directly using the pronoun "you"
Asyndeton
the omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses
Point of View
the perspective from which a speaker or writer tells a story or presents information
Mood
the quality of a verb that conveys the writer's attitude toward a subject; the emotion evoked by a text
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
Epiphora (epistrophe)
the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of several clauses
alliteration
the repetition of an initial consonant sound
anaphora
the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or verses
Jargon
the specialized language of a professional, occupation, or other group, often meaningless to outsiders
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
Euphemism
the substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit
Foreshadowing
the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
repeated syntactical structures/patterning
the use of the same types of word or phrase order
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
Polysyndeton
the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural
Figures of Speech
the various uses of language that depart from customary construction, order, or significance
structure
the way a text is organized and ordered. It can relate to both the whole text and the features of the text.
lexical field
the way that certain words in a text relate to or seem to be about the same thing or idea
Triadic Structure (list of three)
three words, clauses or sentences given together in order to create a memorable impact
form
type of writing, relates to shape and overall presentation of a text
Imagery
vivid descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the senses
loaded language
words that imply a value judgment, used to persuade a reader without having made a serious argument
