subject: Irony and other parts of speech [print this page] Irony and other parts of speech Irony and other parts of speech
1=Irony
It is a figure of speech expressing the opposite of the literal meanings of the word to the reader and audience. It is main weapon of humorous writers. It is always based on contradiction and uses sarcastic humour. It is the congruous use of words phrases characters or situations. In some writings the very plot is ironic. It depicts the disparity that produces or is able to induce laughter. It is difference between what happens and what is expected to happen. It is the hidden reality of many characters. It is a tool to create fun and laughter. Not only the words but many ironic things are embedded in the diction to decorate the language. It is defined as the statement of a thing that means quite opposite to the said. If irony taunts and ridicule it is called sarcasm. In English prose Jane Austen deftly uses the irony in his novels. Irony is her forte and she uses all kinds of this figure of speech in her novels. Many ironic situations and characters are juxtaposed before the reader to differentiate between them. great writer of all the times have used irony to adore their works .Shakespeare, Marlow, Bernard Shaw and many more have set up examples of irony for the posterity.
2=Litotes or Meiosis
It is a Greek term that is used to understate a thing for magnifying the other. It belongs to the species of irony. The true magnitude of an idea event or fact is minimised or even not stated. Wordsworth uses this method to show his worth as a poet and weakness of the language and words.
But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me!
3=Euphemism
It is of Greek origin and means speaking fair. Unpleasant embarrassing and frightening facts are concealed behind it. It is word or phrase that is less blunt and rude or terrifying. That is why we say for a dead person that he has passed away, or has kicked the bucket. Other functions of this figure of speech are to conceal the references to sexuality, bodily functions. It is cultured way of abusing or taunting others. We conceal the blatant and offensive language under its cloak.
4=Antithesis
Literally it means direct and exact opposite, contrast and reverse of a word. It is a term that denotes the use of direct opposite words or phrases. It is a Greek word with the same meaning as exact opposite. It is use of contrasting words to balance their reciprocal effect in a piece of writing. It is coincidence of opposing and contrasting ideas in writing for expressing balance and symmetry of meanings. It is a direct variation in which two sets of figures are set in opposition to each other. Its examples are light and darkness, happiness and grief, profit and loss etc.
5=Ellipsis
It is figure of speech that does not add but exclude certain words from the writing and this exclusion or omission adds colour to the writing. It is of Greek origin and means leaving out. It is the omission of one or more words from a sentence that is easily understood by the reader from the context. I read a novel but my friend did not. Read the novel' are omitted words that are automatically understood by the reader. It is an incomplete sentence as far as grammatical rules are concerned but are more suggestive than words. These enable and incite a reader to use his sense and sensibility to comprehend the main ideas.
6=Metonymy
It is a figure of speech that is used instead for another to replace a noun, word or phrase with which it is closely related and linked. It is also oratorical tactic of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it. When we say that the president house has announced that tomorrow would be a holiday, it is not the building of the president house but the president who is declaring holiday. A noun is replaced for a noun that substitutes the cause of the thing of which we speak. We substitute the inventor for his invention, the container for the thing it contains writer with his work, the sign for the thing it indicates and the cause for the effect. The replaced word draws from its meaning in the context it is used by the association.
7=Synecdoche
It is figure of speech that expresses meanings with a part instead of whole word or definition, as we mean boat from the sail. It is sometime opposite of the part. The complete expresses the meanings of the part. His clean hands and pure heart would be able to bear the brunt of the circumstances, here clean hands and pure soul stands for a person. We often use flesh and blood for a man in our daily communication.
8=Eponymy
It is derived from the Greek epnumos "which means given as a name, its literal meanings are "name on," from the word onuma' that means "name." It is a part synecdoche in which an individual indicate the whole nation. It is also name of a mythical character or a person from which other name is derived. "Rome" is an eponym of "Romulus."
9=Merismus
Merismus is a figure of speech that is a blend of parts of the whole to communicate its entirety. All the offspring of animals; offspring of the human beings offspring of every living creature are dear to their parents.
10=Personification
A variety of figurative and metaphorical language in which things or ideas are treated as if they were human beings is termed as personification. They are shown possessing human attributes and are shown as walking talking and behaving like human beings. It might be a short momentary effect like Tennyson trees which laid their dark arms about the field or might be an extended image like those of Keats personification in his ode to autumn. It is the oldest figure of speech and was used in the ancient literature. The moral plays depict the sins and virtues in the shape of men and women. Different objects and concepts are represented as persons. William Wordsworth in his the prelude' personifies the nature and natural objects.
11=Apostrophe
A Greek term that came into use in English in 16th century literally means turned away'. It originated from the word apostrophos', and apostrephein "It is an extension of personification in which the writer addresses the thing he has personified. It is also a digression from the main conversation or topic.
12=Pseudo Oxymoron
As the term itself expresses, it is not the standard oxymoron but appears naturally or accidentally. The writer has no intension to use oxymoron but it happened to be an oxymoron. The standard oxymoron in intentional and the contradiction shown is deliberate but pseudo oxymoron is not. These are used in every day language and create a better effect on the reader. Its examples are friendly fire, pretty ugly, open secret, dead lives.
