Acutezza

Actuezza

Pronunciation : [akuˈtettsa] N or F

Definition: Acutezza is the act or use of word play.[1] It is also an Italian derived word. Therefore, the direct translation from Italian to English is acuteness; shrewdness; shrillness [2]

Acutezza in Rhetoric

Rhetors most commonly use word play to give the audience a relevance to themselves and a sense of likability. Rhetors also use Acutezza to mask an unpleasant sounding phrase as a means of persuasion.[3] At times Acutezza can seem clever or witty [4] as if the Rhetor is trying to "pull one over" on the audience similar to an enthymeme,which can be the case, but more often than not the speaker is only trying to make his case sound better and as positive as possible.[5] However, in addition to speech, Acutezza can be seen visually as well. This is done through positioning the words in a certain manner on a page to reflect the actual content of the sentence or phrase. If you look to the picture on the left you see an example of physical word play in the Stinky Cheese Man. Notice how the words shrink on the page as you read about a giant talking to a small person. The reader becomes both physically and mentally persuaded through looking at the poem and understanding the content.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Acutezza." Acutezza. Changing Minds, 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
  2. ↑ "Translation of Acutezza in English:." Acutezza: Translation of Acutezza in English in Oxford Dictionary- (Italian-English) (US). Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
  3. ↑ Ernesto Grassi and John Michael Krois Philosophy & Rhetoric, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1986), pp. 131 Published by: Penn State University Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40237470
  4. ↑ Alexander A. Parker The Modern Language Review, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Oct., 1982), pp. xxiv Published by: Modern Humanities Research Association Article DOI: 10.2307/3726577 Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3726577
  5. ↑ The New Map of the World: The Poetic Philosophy of Giambattista Vico by Giuseppe Mazzotta; Vico's Axioms: The Geometry of the Human World by James Robert Goetsch Review by: Mark Williams Eighteenth-Century Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Winter, 2002), pp. 303 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Sponsor: American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS). Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30054190
  6. ↑ Anderson, Holly, and Morgan Styles, eds. Teaching Through Texts: Promoting Literacy Through Popular and Literary Texts in the Primary Classroom. N.p.: Routledge, 2002. 99-100. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
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