Just as night follows day (or a la noche sigue el día), we’ve reached that time of the week when we look at how two similar-looking Spanish words are used. Today it’s retórica and retórico.
Starting with retórica (feminine noun), you can hear how it’s pronounced here:
In its commonest sense, la retórica is the art and skill of speaking and writing eloquently and effectively especially to move your audience or persuade. It can also be used disapprovingly, to refer to language considered persuasive in an insincere or dishonest way. As you’ve probably worked out already, it’s rhetoric:
Estudió retórica, latín, griego antiguo, filosofía y teología.
He studied rhetoric, Latin, Ancient Greek, philosophy and theology.
Durante su campaña, empleó una retórica nacionalista y populista.
During his campaign he used nationalist, populist rhetoric.
su retórica incendiaria
his incendiary rhetoric
Las amenazas solo son creíbles si se llevan a la práctica ya que, si no, suenan a retórica.
Threats are only believable if carried out as otherwise they just sound like hot air.
In the plural, retóricas is used rather informally to mean false arguments – (empty) rhetoric:
Hay que trabajar juntos hacia un objetivo compartido, más allá de las divisiones partidistas y las retóricas polarizadoras.
We need to work together towards a shared objective beyond party-political divisions and polarizing rhetoric.
Let’s turn now to retórico, whose pronunciation you can listen to here:
Retórico (and its inflected forms retórica, retóricos and retóricas) is most commonly used as an adjective.
It may describe concepts to do with rhetoric and oratory as well as the abilities of someone who is skilled in rhetoric and oratory – rhetorical:
el uso de recursos retóricos, como la metonimia, la sinécdoque, el símil o la metáfora
the use of rhetorical devices such as metonymy, synecdoche, simile or metaphor
Fue famoso por sus dotes retóricas.
He was famous for his rhetorical skills.
su intenso carisma y habilidad retórica
his sheer charisma and rhetorical skill
Less positively, it can describe expressions that are empty of real meaning or insincere:
cuando una persona acusada de haber actuado mal ofrece una disculpa que es retórica
when someone accused of having doing wrong offers a rhetorical or hollow excuse
Returning to the noun senses, un retórico (masculine) and una retórica (feminine) are respectively a man and a woman versed in rhetoric – a rhetorician:
Epidius, un retórico latino del primer siglo a.C., que enseñó a Marco Antonio y a Augusto
Epidius, a Latin rhetorician of the first century BC, who taught Mark Antony and Augustus
QUZ TIME
Figuras retóricas – Figures of speech/Rhetorical devices
There are lots of tools in the rhetorician’s toolbox, some of which are illustrated below. Which of the five examples below best illustrates each of the following?
- Personificación
- Metáfora
- Hipérbole
- Onomatopeya
- Símil
Tienen una vida tan dulce como la miel.
Aún se pueden escuchar los aullidos del monstruo.
Yo lucho con uñas y dientes por lo que creo.
¡Aquí me muero de hambre!
La vida juega conmigo.
ANSWERS
- Personificación: La vida juega conmigo.
Personification: Life is playing with or trifling with me.
[The attribution of human characteristics to things]
- Metáfora: Yo lucho con uñas y dientes por lo que creo.
Metaphor: I fight tooth and nail for what I believe.
[Non-literal use of words to suggest a resemblance]
- Hipérbole: ¡Aquí me muero de hambre!
Hyperbole: I’m dying of hunger here!
[Deliberate exaggeration for effect]
- Onomatopeya: Aún se pueden escuchar los aullidos del monstruo.
Onomatopoeia: You can still hear the howls of the monster.
[Use of words that sound like the noise they refer to]
- Símil: Tienen una vida tan dulce como la miel.
Simile: They’re living a life that’s as sweet as honey.
[Contrasting one thing with another]
To unlock the secrets of some other similar-looking Spanish words, come back next week.
