Everything about Litotes
Ironic figure of speech
In rhetoric, litotes is a figure of speech and form of irony to emphasize a point by stating a negative to affirm a positive. In speech, litotes may depend on intonation and emphasis; for example, the phrase "not bad" can be intonated differently so as to mean either "mediocre" or "excellent". The interpretation of negation may also depend on context, including cultural context. Litotes can be used euphemistically to diminish the harshness of an observation: "He isn't the cleanest person I know" could be used to indicate that someone is a messy person. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: LitotesA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: Litotes in PaulInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: La litoteThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: On the relation of irony, understatement, and litotesCited 18 times
- Go sideways: HyperboleA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Double negativeA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun A figure of speech whereby something is stated by denying its opposite. The negation of a negative quality to assert a positive.
Noun The negation of a negative quality to assert a positive.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
On the relation of irony, understatement, and litotes
Litotes and superlative in Beowulf
I. Litotes in Old Norse
Opposition as a technique of knowing in cosmographical literature: Litotes, epanorthosis
Denying the contrary: More’s use of litotes in the Utopia
The argumentative litotes in The Analects
La force et l’élégance. Les litotes dans la Passion bretonne de 1530
Some Notes on Litotes in Thomas More’s The History of King Richard III
🆕 Influential since 2022
Litotes in Paul
HYPERBOLE AND LITOTES AS A WAY OF SEMANTIC METAMORPHOSIS IN THE SPHERE OF PHRASE FORMATION
Rezension: Neuhaus, Laura (2019): Linguistik der Litotes im Deutschen – Syntax, Semantik und Pragmatik einer ‚nicht uninteressanten‘ Redefigur. Berlin: De Gruyter.
Rhetoric of Pseudo-Dionysian Apophatic Theology and Preaching - Homiletical Implications of Litotes -
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEIOSIS AND LITOTES IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES
📚 Books worth reading
- 📕La litoteAndré Horak · 2011
- 📕History of Blee family / as written by Dolan Blee ; [transcribed by John G. Litot?].Dolan Blee · 1961
Understatements and Hedges in EnglishAlex Huebler · 1984
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
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