What is the difference between circumlocution and periphrasis?
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The circumlocution (from Latin, circumlocutio literally circuit of words) consists in replacing by several words or several sentences what could be said in a word or a short sentence.
It is therefore a periphrasis, but its specificity is that it essentially serves to avoid frankly expressing what one thinks.
Personally, I would call her a hypocrite.
To read also This ideology "woke" which infiltrates the faculties
An everyday example
An example ? For example, a friend, whose clumsiness behind the wheel you know, asks you to lend him your new car. You do not have the courage to tell him frankly that it is out of the question ("
You drive too badly, I'm afraid you will damage him
"), you do not want to lie to him ("
This is is not possible, I just punctured a tire
"), then you will use a circumlocution"
It would be a pleasure but you know this car, I just bought it, it doesn't have the slightest scratches and it's not that I don't trust your driving skills, but there is so much crazy on the roads that an incident quickly happened and then, you don't know her, you have to get used to a new car and you don't have a garage so if you have to let her sleep outside… Ask Paul …
”
Hopefully, your friend won't accuse you of "beating
around the bush
" or better yet "
drowning the fish
", which is the same thing.
The English translate these two expressions in the same way: to beat around the bush.
Extract from
Literary walk among figures of speech
.
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