Function of Litotes

Litotes uses ironical understatement in order to emphasize an idea or situation rather than minimizing its importance. It rather discovers a unique way to attract people’s attention to an idea and that is by ignoring it.

J.R. Bergmann in his book “Talk at Work: Interaction in Institutional Settings” talks about litotes in the following words: “I want to claim that the rhetorical figure litotes is one of those methods which are used to talk about an object in a discreet way. It clearly locates an object for the recipient, but it avoids naming it directly.”

This is the best that has ever been said about litotes – that to ignore an object and still talk about it in a negative way is the best way to make it appear important and prominent.

14 – билет

In rhetoric, antonomasia is a substitution of any epithet or phrase for a proper name, such as "the little corporal" for Napoleon I. The reverse process is also sometimes called antonomasia. The word derives from the Greek ἀντονομασία, antonomasia, itself from the verb ἀντονομάζειν, antonomazein, meaning "to name differently".^[1][2][3] Antonomasia is a particular form of metonymy.

The name used to substitute an abstract notion or personal trait is commonly called archetype or, more specifically, archetypal name.

A frequent instance of antonomasia in the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance was the use of the term "the Philosopher" to refer to Aristotle. A more recent example of the other form of antonomasia (usage of archetypes) was the use of "Solons" for "the legislators" in 1930s journalism, after the semi-legendary Solon, lawgiver of Athens.

Examples[edit]

"Son of Laertes" or "Man of Pain" for Odysseus

"Pelides" or "the son of Peleus" for Achilles^[3]

"The Stagirite" or "The Philosopher" for Aristotle^[3]

"Macedonia's madman" for Alexander the Great^[3]

"The Iron Lady" or the "The Leaderene" for Margaret Thatcher

"The Commentator" for Averroes (so named for his commentaries on "The Philosopher" Aristotle's works)

"The Dark Knight" or "The Caped Crusader" for Batman (also referred as "The Dynamic Duo" when paired with fictional sidekick, Robin)

"The Fab Four" for The Beatles

"The Great Commoner" for Winston Churchill

"The Iron Chancellor" for Otto von Bismarck

"The Don" for Sir Donald Bradman

"La Divina" for Maria Callas

Examples and Observations:

The character of James "Sawyer" Ford in the ABC television program Lost (2004-1010) regularly used antonomasia to annoy his companions. His nicknames for Hurley included Lardo, Kong, Pork Pie, Stay Puft, Rerun, Barbar, Pillsbury, Muttonchops, Mongo, Jabba, Deep Dish, Hoss, Jethro, Jumbotron, andInternational House of Pancakes.

Calling a lover Casanova, an office worker Dilbert, Elvis Presley the King, Bill Clintonthe Comeback Kid, or Horace Rumpole's wife She Who Must Be Obeyed 

When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always." (Rita Rudner)

"If the waiter has a mortal enemy, it is the Primper. I hate the Primper. HATE THE PRIMPER! If there's a horrifying sound a waiter never wants to hear, it's the THUMP of a purse on the counter. Then the digging sound of the Primper's claws trying to find makeup, hairbrushes, and perfume." (Laurie Notaro, The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club, 2002)