I'm sure we discussed this once before, what is the word that means "saying something by saying that you are not going to say it" ?
For example when someone says "I wouldn't dream of calling him a fool" or, to choose a more famous example, "You might say that. I couldn't possibly comment." or perhaps "I'm not going to say, 'I told you so.'"
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
I had a feeling that there was some specific word for this as a rhetorical device. I could be mistaken though.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
November 14, 2007, 12:40
tsuwm
apophasis a figure of speech which alludes to something specific by denying that it will be mentioned (e.g., "I won't mention the fact that Representative Smith has been supporting three children from adulterous relationships.")
to be confused with, paraleipsis a figure of speech which implies something more serious by deliberately concise treatment (also written as paralepsis) (e.g. "I don't have time to mention Representative Jones's other faults.")
edit: see Quinion and Silva Rhetoricae, under paralipsis, for examples of said confusion.This message has been edited. Last edited by: tsuwm,
November 14, 2007, 13:14
BobHale
Apophasis, that's the one I was thinking of. Thanks tsuwm.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
November 14, 2007, 13:48
jerry thomas
When I was having lunch last week with the World-Famous BobHale, Bob said, "Jerry, Old Friend, I've always admired your tasteful use of rhetorical devices for establishing ethos."
November 14, 2007, 14:54
tsuwm
regarding tropes in general, here's something I once posted elsewhere and I just now, finally, tracked down:
I don't think anybody really understands these tropes..
M-W has paraleipsis: [from Greek paraleipsis neglect, omission] passing over with brief mention in order to emphasize rhetorically the suggestiveness of what is omitted - brief mention
and apophesis: [from Greek, denial, negation] the raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it (as in "we won't discuss his past crimes") - claiming not to mention
I once asked Jesse Sheidlower about tropes:
quote:
The most important thing in any discussion like this is the fact that most rhetorical terms aren't defined quite as precisely as one would want or expect. I've always been interested by them, and I remember in college going to a professor of mine, the chairman of the classics department, to ask about some subtle distinction between two terms, and he basically laughed and said that it was completely irrelevant.
That said, in _my_ understanding, _apophasis_ is actually saying something specific while denying that you are going talk about it (e.g. "I won't mention the fact that Representative Smith has been supporting three children from adulterous relationships"), while _paralipsis_ (in various spellings, or _pr(a)eteritio(n),_ which is the same thing with a totally different name_) is the implication of something more serious by deliberately concise treatment (e.g. "I don't have time to mention Representative Jones's other faults.")
as you can see, that's where I got my examples! _________________________ joe friday
November 15, 2007, 20:31
Kalleh
It seems similar to anapodoton...when a main clause is suggested by the introduction of a subordinate clause, but the main clause never occurs? I wrote a limerick about that for OEDILF:
"If you think I am going to take Your insults..." [...you make a mistake]. That rhet'ric device Is the overconcise Anapodoton — no, it's not fake!
November 16, 2007, 01:42
Richard English
I confess that I saw Kalleh's limerick and I wrote one in the "Philology Pete" series to define the same word.
Go to OEDILF and do a search for "Philology Pete" or "anapodoton" to find it.