Language Style

Language Style

See also language; literary style; literature; rhetoric and rhetorical devices.
academeselanguage typical of academies or the world of learning; pedantic language.aeolisma tendency to longwindedness. — aeolistic, adj.anecdotalism1. the writing or telling of short narratives concerning an interesting, amusing, or curious incident or event.
2. an excessive use of anecdotes, as sometimes in the conversation of the aged. — anecdotalist, n.archaismthe deliberate use, for effect, of old-fashioned terminology in literature.Asiaticisma manner of speech, writing, or architecture distinguished by excessive ornamentation or floridity. — Asiatical, adj.barbarismthe use of terms or constructions feit by some to be undesirably foreign to the established customs of the language. — barbarian, n., adj.battologyfutile repetition in speech or writing.bureaucrateselanguage characteristic of government bureaucracy, characterized by excessive use of jargon, convoluted construction, and periphrasis.businesseselanguage typical of that used by business people or the world of business, characterized by use of jargon and abbreviation.causticism, causticitya sharp, tart wittiness. Also causticness. — caustic, adj.cinemeselanguage typical of the cinema, as that used in film dialogue or in film criticism.collegeselanguage typical of that used by college students, characterized by use of slang and neologisms.computereselanguage used by those in the business of manufacturing, selling, servicing, or using electronic computers, characterized by many abbreviations and acronyms, excessive use of technical jargon, and, frequently, lack of concern for traditional spelling and grammar.concettism1. any writing characterized by conceits, i.e., elaborate and fanciful figures of speech, as in the opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s “Prufrock.”
2. the use of conceits in writing.economeselanguage and jargon typical of economists and the field of economics.epigrammatism1. the composition of brief witty, ingenious, or sententious statements.
2. the composition of short, concise poems, often satirical, displaying a witty or ingenious thought. — epigrammatist, n. — epigrammatic, adj.federaleselanguage typical of the federal government, especially bureau-cratie jargon.fustiana high-flown, bombastic style of writing or speaking. — fustianist, n.journaleselanguage typical of journalists and newspapers or magazines, characterized by use of neologism and unusual syntax. Also called newspaperese.laconicism, laconisma tendency to use few words to express a great deal; conciseness. — laconic, adj.legaleselanguage typical of lawyers, laws, legal forms, etc., characterized by archaic usage, prolixity, and extreme thoroughness.lexiphanicismArchaic. 1. the use of excessively learned and bombastic terminology.
2. an instance of this language style. — lexiphanic, adj.literaryism1. the habitual use of literary forms.
2. an expression belonging to a literary language.luciditythe quality, state, or art of clarity in thought and style. — lucidness, n. — lucid, adj.macaronicisma style of language in which Latin forms and words are mixed with vernacular words, as skato, slippere, falli, bumptum. — macaronic, n., adj.macrologyan excessive wordiness.newspaperesejournalese.officialeselanguage characteristic of officialdom, typified by polysyllabism and much periphrasis.paragraphismthe system of writing paragraphs in newspaper-journalism style. — paragraphist, n. — paragraphically, adv.parrhesiaa tendency to boldness and frankness of speech; freedom of expression, as in much modern literature.pedagesethe language of pedagogues or language typical of pedagogues, characterized by pedanticism. Also called academese.pedestrianismthe use of a style lacking in vitality, imagination, or distinction; prosiness. — pedestrian, adj.pelluciditythe quality, state, or art of writing or speaking in a fashion that is easy to understand. — pellucidness, n. — pellucid, adj.Pentagoneselanguage typical of the Pentagon or the U.S. defense establishment, characterized by use of acronyms, neologisms and the use of nouns as verbs and adjectives.postclassicisma written or spoken expression characteristic of the period following the classical period of a language. — postclassical, adj.sardonicisma style of speaking or writing characterized by bitter, contemptuous, or scornful derision.sensationalismyellow journalism.societyeselanguage typical of high society, characterized by affectation.sociologeselanguage or jargon typical of sociology or sociologists.stageselanguage typical of the stage and stage people, characterized by affectation, hyperbole, and melodramatic effects.stichometrythe practice of expressing the successive ideas in a prose composition in single lines corresponding to natural cadences or sense divisions. — stichometric, stichometrical, adj.telegraphesethe brief, sometimes cryptic language used in telegrams.Varietyeselanguage typical of the entertainment journal Variety, characterized by a staccato, idiomatic, and neologistic style, with much use of abbreviation.Wall Streeteselanguage typical of that used on Wall Street and in the financial markets, characterized by use of technical financial terms and arcane stock-market jargon.Washingtonesefederalese.yellow journalismthe practice of seeking out sensational news for the purpose of boosting a newspaper’s circulation, or, if such stories are hard to find, of trying to make comparatively innocuous news appear sensational. Also called sensationalism. — yellow journalist, n.