locutions
Ways of speaking
Locutions are ways of speaking or particular expressions.
The term draws attention to the words themselves rather than their meaning, often highlighting an unusual, formal, or distinctive turn of phrase.
His old-fashioned locutions made him sound like a character from a Victorian novel.
In philosophy of language, a locution refers specifically to the act of saying something, as distinct from what is meant or accomplished by saying it.
Connected word groups
- expressionsOutward manifestations of feeling
- turns of phraseDistinctive wording choices
- idiomsFixed figurative expressions
- figures of speechNon-literal linguistic expressions
circumlocutions · periphrases · stock phrases · clichés · tropes · flourishes · euphemisms · colloquialisms
Rules for arranging words
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- word choiceSelection of vocabulary
- dictionChoice of words
usage · construction · formulation · articulation · wording · sentence structure · morphology · lexicon
Expressions upon meeting
- farewellsDeparture expressions
- blessingsFavors from the divine
- cursesSworn oaths or hexes
- toastsRaised-glass honors
proverbs · folk sayings · traditional expressions · taboo words · slang · jargon · argot · cant
Formal juridical terminology
- contractual termsBinding agreement conditions
- officialesePompous administrative writing
- legaleseAttorneys' technical jargon
- oathsSolemn binding promises
declarations · proclamations · pronouncements · edicts · formal address · honorifics · salutations · valedictions
phrases
Connected word groups
- expressionsOutward manifestations of feeling
- turns of phraseDistinctive wording choices
- idiomsFixed figurative expressions
figures of speech · circumlocutions · periphrases · stock phrases · clichés · tropes · flourishes · euphemisms · colloquialisms · sayings
syntax
Rules for arranging words
- grammarLanguage's structural rules
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- word choiceSelection of vocabulary
diction · usage · construction · formulation · articulation · wording · sentence structure · morphology · lexicon · semantics
greetings
Expressions upon meeting
toasts · proverbs · folk sayings · traditional expressions · taboo words · slang · jargon · argot · cant · vernacular
legal language
Formal juridical terminology
- contractual termsBinding agreement conditions
- officialesePompous administrative writing
- legaleseAttorneys' technical jargon
oaths · declarations · proclamations · pronouncements · edicts · formal address · honorifics · salutations · valedictions · stipulations
- spiritual experiencesreligious experience, mystical union, divine vision, divine encounter, spiritual vision
- Catholic mysticismstigmata, visions, ecstasy, mystics, incorruptibility
- Marian ApparitionsFatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, apparitions, visions
- dialectsregional dialect, local dialect, patois, vernaculars, vernacular
- Spanish MysticismTeresa of Avila, John of the Cross, dark night of the soul, San Juan, dark night
locutionsgestures
Expressive body movements
body language · sign language · gesticulations · pantomime · facial expressions
locutionssilence
Total lack of sound
muteness · speechlessness · wordlessness · taciturnity · reticence