What is the name of the rhetorical device where someone mentions a subject by stating that he or she will not mention it, as in "not to mention the fact that you have not paid me."
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3Type "apophasis" into the search box. – deadrat Dec 27 '15 at 18:16
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1@deadrat If the OP knew that "apophasis" was the correct term, she wouldn't have asked the question. – augurar Dec 28 '15 at 01:57
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1@augurar And your point? It wasn't a criticism; it was a suggestion – deadrat Dec 28 '15 at 02:33
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Preterition, proslepsis or apophasis, not to mention the many other derivatives with either (late) latin or greek root: praeteritio(n), occupatio on the one hand, cataphasis, paralipsis, parasiopesis on the other hand.
While they vary with sources, nuances might be:
- proslepsis: the pretence of passing over a subject while at the same time describing it fully,
- apophasis: an allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned,
- praeterition: a rhetorical device in which the speaker emphasizes something by omitting it.
Laurent Duval
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1Upvote for actually using preterition/apophasis in your answer. – SeligkeitIstInGott May 07 '21 at 20:45
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The comment section is definitely not the place to emphasize my pleasure of being read – Laurent Duval May 07 '21 at 21:02
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