Intended for literary writing, it simply consists of a modification or variation of common language, with the intention of making it showy, expressive and beautiful, allowing the author to create a true work of art. Learn all about the interesting and versatile Literary language!
What is literary language?
Literary language is simply the traditional written language, which has been enriched or adorned with a vocabulary that includes unusual words, such as cultisms, archaisms, barbarisms, among others. It is characterized by a strong attention to the form and style of the text, rather than the content that is conveyed.
Literary language is part of the so-called special or professional languages, also called metalanguages or technical languages, characterized by the use of common language and the jargon of a particular group in society.
These particular languages use all the linguistic resources, through which they are able to transmit a message to those who have a series of knowledge on the subject, making it an essential element to share data in that system.
Among the special languages are, for example, legal and administrative, scientific-technical, humanistic, journalistic, advertising and literary.
However, the great difference between these languages mentioned is that almost all of them have as their primary objective to inform and express a point of view on a specific topic, in addition to communicating with the language used by the institutions.
On the contrary, those who use literary language pay more attention to the expressive aspects than to the communicative ones, showing more interest in the form of the text. The author shows a certain inclination for style and highlights the poetic function of language, which acquires essential importance for the understanding of a text.
Features
Literary language has some very specific and particular characteristics that differentiate it from other types of language, among which are listed:
1-It is composed of a succession of acts of communication that allow the expression of emotionality and subjectivity. However, there are some non-literary texts from other special languages, which sometimes approach the literary genre, giving importance to the subjective nature of their message.
In this case we find the essay when it reveals this subjective aspect, in the same way the journalistic language when its argumentative texts take in a certain way the style of a genre close to the literary one, however, they are not real literary manifestations.
2-Emphasizes the code and the form of the message, neglecting the other factors that make up an act of communication, such as the sender, the recipient, the context, the contact and the code. Well, the true intention of this type of text is to achieve an artistic work
3-They are texts where originality is very important, the author has the freedom to move away from common language and create unpublished texts.
4-The main objective is to communicate literary beauty above any other practical purpose, which generally contradicts the rules of common language.
5-Fiction is used freely, that is to say that the text does not have to stick to reality if the author does not want it. This gives him the opportunity to transport the reader to any world he can imagine.
6-Use of different literary forms and language manipulations to draw the reader's attention. It also uses the connotation before the denotation.
7-It usually has an emotional function on many occasions, since it usually transmits feelings, moods, emotions, etc.
Types of literary language
There are two styles within the literary language, which are considered the main forms of it and that most readers recognize when they read it, these include:
Prose
In prose, you write naturally, expressing ideas as they arise, without having to comply with rules other than grammar.
Writing prose can be difficult, since it practically consists of imitating the speech of daily life without sounding coarse or false, but it is free writing, where you do not have to count syllables or lines.
This is not to imply that aesthetics are not taken into account or valued when writing prose, because in some way it must sound pretty or literary, however, and as a simple example in prose, sentences do not need rhyme, although they can if they wish. An example of prose can be this paragraph that begins the story of the Protective, from author AJ Quinnell:
Winter in Milan. Luxurious automobiles lined a suburban avenue. In the huge building hidden behind the trees, a bell tinkled faintly, and minutes later the children, bundled up against the wind, came down the steps and scattered into the warmth of the waiting cars.
The verse
The verse is a written poetic composition that takes into account the metric syllables, the times and the rhythm of the sentences and establishes them in lines that are also called verses and these in turn in stanzas. Many describe it as an artificial and complicated language style, if compared to prose, however it is not entirely true, verse is not a difficult literary language form.
When you write in verse, you use accents, pauses, metric feet, and words with similar or contrasting sounds to create a flow that, ideally, will convey a feeling or image to the reader. It is very common for the verse to rhyme, although it is not necessary. An example of verse would be the poem by Mario Benedetti, Forever:
If the emerald dim,
if gold lost its color,
then it would be over
our love.
If the sun didn't warm
if the moon did not exist,
then I wouldn't have
sense to live on this earth
However, you can write in verse without worrying about rhymes, as is the case with blank verse, which uses meter and tenses but no rhyme, or free verse, which usually has no meter or rhyme.
The verse is obviously used in poetry, but it is possible to find it in some theatrical genres or in song lyrics. Also, verse is often used as a synonym for poetry, but it is not exactly the same, as the latter is a literary genre while the former is a form of language.
What are the differences between prose and verse?
Even though both are a literary language, there are marked differences between prose and verse that allow you to quickly recognize and differentiate them. Among the main ones we have:
- The prose is meant to mimic natural speech, while the verse focuses on creating rhythm and cadence. Everyday texts are usually in prose.
- Prose does not usually rhyme, while verse does. However, as we have mentioned before, there are exceptions.
- Prose does not measure meters or lines, while in verse it is very important to pay attention to the way the language is organized.
- Prose organizes words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs, while verse puts sentences or short phrases into lines and these can be grouped into stanzas.
- Both prose and verse can have figures of speech, and both can be written or spoken.
Are there prose poems?
For many people, novels are written in prose and poems in verse, but even when it is an explanation that is too simple and widely used, it is not entirely true.
There are authors who write poems in prose and who use this form of natural language, making the most of poetic resources, such as figures of speech and symbols, an example are the well-known haikus, poems written in prose. A prose poem is a classic haiku, Kabayashi Issa:
The butterfly flutters
as if desperate
in this world
Are there plays in verse?
Verse is generally used in poems, but it is also used to write poetic drama, which was a very popular style many centuries ago, being found in writings from the time of Ancient Greece, even in romantic works such as Faust, by J. Wolfgang von Goethe.
It is undeniable that verse drama is rare today, some playwrights still use it, and many classic writings of this kind are still alive. Such is the case of one of the greatest writers of all time, William Shakespeare.
This playwright, sometimes known as the Bard of Avon, wrote in dramatic verse, but perhaps most interestingly, he combined both styles, using both rhymed and unrhymed verse and prose.
This way of writing created a masterful contrast between the two forms, as it portrayed the tensions and differences between the characters. Shakespeare established an ordinary and comic dialogue in prose, for the characters of inferior status, while the deep emotions, haughty and other ironic reflections and observations were written in verse.
Prose was also very important, using them for key passages in the plays and to represent both relief and madness. The writer made it very clear that the use of prose and verse also depends on the context and the feeling that he wanted to convey.
This interesting combination of the two types of literary language was common in Renaissance theater, but not unique to William Shakespeare.
Literary language and the use of figures rhetoric
A literary device or rhetorical figure are the different ways in which words are used to convey a message, trying to persuade, beautify or give it effusiveness. It can also be a technique used to evoke emotions in the reader or audience.
Writers use many different types of figures of speech in their works to achieve specific effects, intentionally altering the correct and usual use of language for this.
Some of the common and not so common literary devices that can be used to great effect in writing include:
Alliteration
Alliteration is the recurring use of initial consonant sounds, which may remind you of childhood tongue twisters. It is a technique that is often widely used in some brands. An example of alliteration would be: Mr. Magaña got lagaña, spider, tangle, from eating lasagna.
Allusion
An allusion is a reference to a well-known event, place, or person to make a point or idea without having to give too much detail or explanation. For example, you might say, "I can't run that fast, I'm not the Flash!"
Amplification
Amplification is the repetition of a word or expression to give emphasis, to which adjectives are also added to clarify the meaning. Forgiveness, true forgiveness, takes time, in this case the author is repeating the word forgiveness and also amplifies it by adding an adjective “true forgiveness”.
Analogy
An analogy is a well-known and used figure of speech, which consists of establishing relationships or similarities between different figures, highlighting the ways in which they resemble each other. An example of this literary device would be: It is as dangerous as the choppy sea.
Anaphora
Anaphora repeats a word or phrase in successive phrases, which creates parallelism and rhythm, which is why it is often associated with music and poetry, however, it can be implemented to benefit any form of written work. I would like to be remembered without crying or lamenting, I would like to be remembered for having made paths.
Antanagoge
This literary device places a criticism and a compliment or an accusation and a counter-accusation together to lessen the impact or provide a response. For example: Many are the dangers and sufferings that remain to be endured, but great is the glory at the end.
Antimetabole
It is a figure characterized by the repetition of words or phrases in reverse order. John F. Kennedy's famous quote, Don't ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country, is a well known example.
Antiphrasis
It is a resource that consists of using a word with an opposite meaning for an ironic or humorous effect. For example: We call our chihuahua King Kong. The chihuahua is a Mexican dog breed known for being tiny and unique in the world and King Kong is the name of a gigantic gorilla.
Antithesis
The antithesis establishes a connection between two things, allowing to express contradiction, for example, eat to live not live to eat.
Enumeration
It refers to mentioning a point in detail, that is, making a series or list of elements that maintain a relationship. For example: The renovation of the house, which includes a fireplace, a pool, a terrace and a barbecue, is complete.
Epithet
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase that expresses a quality of a person or thing, widely used today to denote a term that describes the race, gender, sexual orientation, or other characteristics of a group or individual. Example: We lay on the green grass to remember good times.
Epizeuxis
It is the repeated use of a word, to emphasize what you want to express. That night she was beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
Metanoia
This figure of speech corrects or qualifies a statement, further clarifying what is to be conveyed in the sentence. A model of metanoia would be: You are the proudest man in the office, not in the entire company.
Metaphor
It is a type of implicit comparison, which equates two things by stating that one is the other. An example would be: Your love is the way to paradise.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sound of what they describe, it is a figurative language that is often used to convey specific images to the reader based on universal experiences. Such is the case of: The tick-tock, tick-tock (second hand of the clock) drove me crazy.
Parallelism
Parallelism uses words or phrases with a similar structure to create symmetry and balance in writing, for example: Rich father poor father.
Simile
A simile directly compares one object with another, on some occasions it can be confused with metaphors, the main difference being that a simile uses an element or word that establishes the comparison: like, which, that, resembles, similar to, similar to .
In the case of metaphor, the comparison is carried out directly. An example of a simile is: I feel strong as an oak.
Attenuation
A euphemism makes an idea less important than it really is, underplaying a situation or character. For example: The hurricane disrupted traffic a bit.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole refers to an exaggeration, to try to diminish or enhance a fact, as in this sentence: What do you bring in this backpack? weighs a ton.
synesthesia
It is a rhetorical figure that mixes the senses with sensations other than those that correspond to them to embellish the text and draw the reader's attention. Example: I could see the crystalline of his words o the smell of lies.
epanalepsis
Epanalepsis is repeating a phrase or word at the beginning and end of a sentence, to reinforce the idea: What was it like, my God, what was it like?
Derivation
This resource is described as a way to combine words from the same lexeme, that is, to place derived terms that originate from the same primitive word in a sentence, to make it striking and attractive to the reader, for example: From your hive, hive of the soul, I hive.
Literary and non-literary texts
Distinguishing the literary from the non-literary may at times not be so simple, however, there are some important details that allow us to differentiate one text from another.
Literary works are those that have significantly complex and detailed literary devices, particularly in metaphors and symbolism.
Also important are the literary elements of chronology and psychological characterization, the present, past and future tenses can be used for purposes greater than cause and effect, before and after the sequence of events.
The psychological characterization, makes the character more important than the actions he performs, is responsible for developing and exposing the mental, cognitive and emotional processes that generate the different changes in him.
On the contrary, non-literary refers to texts that are weak in metaphors and symbolism, since they want to tell a story and entertain. Thematic elements and problems are simple and easily identifiable.
The chronology is usually true to life, interspersing a few moments in the past to provide a backstory if necessary. The action and events exceed character development and psychological depth.
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