ENGL 301: TECHNICAL WRITING
JESSICA TAM (20778130)
ASSIGNMENT 1:3 - DEFINITIONS
periphrasis /pəˈrɪfrəsəz/
Parenthetical definition:
Periphrasis uses a string of several words to describe something (circumlocution), rather
than opting for the inflected form.
Sentence definition:
Periphrasis refers to the use of multiple words to describe a phrase linearly, rather than
using its inflected form. Periphrasis is a feature present in most analytical languages,
whereas inflections appear more commonly in synthetic languages.
Expanded definition:
ORIGIN
Periphrasis is a Latin borrowing (prefix: peri-, root: phrase) meaning “round about” “way
of speaking.”
WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF PERIPHASIS?
Analytical languages tend to prefer periphrasis. In a phrase to describe a cat’s tail, the
periphrastic form would be the tail of the cat, whereas the inflected form (present in most
synthetic languages) would be the cat’s tail. While both forms do not vary semantically,
their meanings are conveyed differently.
HOW DOES PERIPHRASIS RELATE TO CHANGES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
As English becomes an increasingly analytical language, scholars expect for periphrasis,
as a feature mostly present in analytical languages and scarce in synthetic languages, to
become preferential for English language users.
Works Cited:
"periphrasis, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2015. Web. 26
January 2016.