Style, nuance and argument Stil a Rhetorik
The finest distinctions: near-synonyms, the little particles that colour a sentence, and the vocabulary of analysis.
30 words and phrases
- kucken / gesinn
- to look / to see
- héieren / nolauschteren
- to hear / to listen
- wëssen / kennen
- to know a fact / to know a person or place
- soen / schwätzen / erzielen
- to say / to speak / to tell
- goen / fueren
- to go on foot / to go by vehicle
- leeën / leien
- to lay / to lie
- setzen / sëtzen
- to set down / to sit
- stellen / stoen
- to stand something up / to stand
- d'Ironie
- irony
- d'Metapher
- metaphor
- d'Iwwerdreiwung
- exaggeration
- d'Andeitung
- hint / allusion
- andeiten
- to hint
- betounen
- to emphasise
- ënnersträichen
- to underline / stress
- relativéieren
- to put into perspective
- widderleeën
- to refute
- verdeedegen
- to defend
- a Fro stellen
- to call into question
- d'Viraussetzung
- the premise
- d'Schlussfolgerung
- the conclusion
- de Widdersproch
- the contradiction
- onbestreitbar
- undeniable
- zweiwelhaft
- doubtful
- iwwerzeegend
- convincing
- de Standpunkt
- the standpoint
- ausdrécklech
- explicitly
- de Fuedem verléieren
- to lose the thread
- op de Punkt kommen
- to get to the point
- de Kär vun der Saach
- the heart of the matter
Grammar
Particles that carry the tone
jo: appeals to shared knowledge. Dat ass jo kloer. (That is clear, as we both know.)
dach: contradicts or insists. Komm dach! (Do come!) Et ass dach net sou schlëmm. (It is not that bad, surely.)
mol / emol: softens a request. Kuck mol. (Have a look.)
awer, schonn, nach add reservation, concession or continuation: Et ass awer deier. Dat ass schonn richteg, awer …
Fronting for emphasis
Putting something other than the subject first makes it the point: Genee dat ass de Problem. Muer kommen ech net. The verb stays second.
Practice
6 exercises: multiple choice, typing, matching pairs and word order.