metanoia
9.9
A speaker takes back a statement and says it again more strongly
- noun
- /ˌmɛtəˈnɔɪə/
- Literature
:
metanoia
- He used metanoia to clarify his earlier remarks, saying they were not just incorrect but misleading.
Examples
-
Metanoia: qualifying a recalled statement by expressing it in a better way, often by using a negative (Lanham 100):
Academic text (1999) -
In her presentation, she employed metanoia to strengthen her argument by revising her previous assertion.
-
The author skillfully applied metanoia in her essay to enhance her point by contrasting her earlier views.
Synonyms
9.9
A way of speaking that changes what you say immediately to correct or make it stronger
retracts then restates the idea more strongly or clearly
How Corrective
Surface Forms
Etymology
Metanoia comes from Greek parts meta- ('change') and -noia from nous ('mind'), so it literally means a 'change of mind'. In speech, metanoia is a small 'change of mind' where the speaker takes back a phrase and then restates it more clearly or strongly.