英语修辞学RhetoricofWordsandExpressions1..

Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (3) OLivia: Stay, I prithee, tell me what thou think'st of me.

Viola:
That you do think you are not what you are.
Referential or Emotive Words
Other Catergories of Words Choice between Synonymous Words
General Remarks

What does the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword" mean? The English vocabulary is rich, heterogeneous and cosmopolitan, a result of its historical development from Celtic and Anglo-Saxon orgins, the impact of Latin and French on it during the period of the Roman and Norman Conquests, the massive borrowings from other countries during the heyday of British imperialism, and the modern impact of American English. The English language has greatly changed from what it was in Shakespeare's time, or even in Dickens's time.
Rhetoric of Words and Expressions
Teaching Contents

I. Lexical Options
II. Choice of Abbreviations
III. Lexical Repetition
IV. Unnecessary Words
I. Lexical Options
Olivia: If I think so, I think the same of you. Viola: Then think you right: I am not what I am.
Olivia: I would you were as I would have you be! Viola: Would it be better, madam, than I am? I wish it might, for now I am your fool. (Twelfth Night, III,i, 134)

The cot(小床) the man lay on was in the wide shade of a mimosa (洋槐) tree and as he looked out past the shade on to the glare of the plain there three of the big birds squatted（蹲） obscenely（下流的）, while in sky a dozen more sailed, making quick-moving shadows as they passed. All right. Now he would not care for death. One thing he had always dreaded was the pain. He could stand pain as well as any man,until it went on too long, and wore him out, but here he had something that had hurt frightfully and just when he had felt it breaking him, the pain had stopped.


Lexical Options—Common Words or Learned Words (1) The choice between common words and learned words was originally a choice between vernacular English and Latin words, and in course of time English won out, and Latinisms and learned terms lost favor. Today, learned words still refer mainly to Latinate words, but common words no longer refer purely to English words of Anglo-Saxon origin. The cosmopolitan vocabulary of English contains thousands of words borrowed from other-than-Latin languages, especially French, and many of these are just as popular as the common English words. agree/concur; prove/verify; surrender/capitulate


I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, sweat and tears.
We can see this expression is forceful. The short words transmit a feeling of immediacy or urgency to the reader.

Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (7) As many events and situations in life require fuller descriptions than monosyllables can provide, words of more than one syllable appear in increasing amount in the present writing or speaking situation. Polysyllabic words abound in the scholastic, scientific and phylosophic works.

It would be hard, indeed, for an adult writer to write all in monosyllables or all in polysyllables; a judicious mixture of the two is the usual practice. The advice to avoid long words, really, is aimed not at long words themselves but at those who "prefer long words to the short," not for stylistic reasons, but for pretentious ones.


Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words(1)

Short words: monosyllabic words of Anglo-Saxon origin Long words: polysyllabic words of Latin, French or Greek origin. One-syllable words were once considered not conducive to elegant, scholarly or artistic expression; the abundant use of polysyllabic words often makes for a heavy cumbersome effect. How to choose short words or long words?

General Remarks Short Words or Long Words Common Words or Learned Words Formal, Informal or Colloquial Words General or Specific Words Concrete or Abstract Words

Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (4)

The rhythm here moves easily and quickly, maybe to reflect the upset mind of the characters.
Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (5)

Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (6)

This quatation is from Earnst Hemingway 's The Snow of Kilimanjaro (《乞力马扎罗山的雪》). In this extract, we can see the dying man is in no condition for laborious thinking. Here the short simple words creat a certain flow and rhythm to the sentences. The short words come without effort to his mind sounding like stream of consciousness.


to consider sound and meaning and association
Lexical Options — Short Words or Long Words (2)

The rhetorical effects of short words: They can creat a kind of tension.

They sound clunky, they don't flow, disjointed, maybe to reflect the disjointed upset mind of the character.
They transmit a feeling of immediacy or urgency to the reader. They could create a certain flow and rhythm to the sentences sounding like stream of consciousness as monosyllabic words are generally more simple.

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Lexical Options—Common Words or Learned Words (2) The choice of one's diction is determined by many factors. The general rule is suit one's diction to the occasion, and not to mix things up. We do not usually talk about common everyday things or events in learned language. Neither can we avoid using learned words in scholarly, academic or legal discussions. It would be wise for us not to use high-sounding words, however much we like them, unless they really suit the occasion.