Litotes
In rhetoric, litotes (pron.: \ˈlī-tə-ˌtēz, ˈli-, lī-ˈtō-ˌtēz\) is a figure of speech in which understatement is employed for rhetorical effect, principally via double negatives. For example, rather than saying that something is attractive (or even very attractive), one might merely say it is "not unattractive".
Litotes is a form of understatement, always deliberate and with the intention of emphasis. However, the interpretation of negation may depend on context, including cultural context. In speech, it may also depend on intonation and emphasis; for example, the phrase "not bad" can be said in such a way as to mean anything from "mediocre" to "excellent".
The use of litotes is common in English, Russian, German and French. They are features of Old English poetry and of the Icelandic sagas and are a means of much stoical restraint.
George Orwell complained about overuse of the 'not un...' construction in his essay "Politics and the English Language".
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I just found your blog via Deemer's. It's interesting. Love the poetry. And I'm a word freak, so I find posts like this one fascinating. I had no idea there was a name for this verbal technique. Litotes. I'll try to remember. Anyway, interesting, unique blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm a fan of Deemer.
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