Litota is a trope. That is, allegory in one form or another of it. If a thought needs to be conveyed to the interlocutor or the reader, not in one of its meanings, but with an additional connotation of meaning, and sometimes not just one, the path is used. In one form or another. Another trail is often referred to as a figure of speech. "The sea worries once, the sea worries two, the sea worries three - speech, in a pose of litots freeze." And freezes. And a litota born in the heat of conversation or discussion forever enters into the Russian language as a sustainable turn.
Typical litota
A pronounced litota, examples of which we can find in the media, is the use of diminutive and affectionate epithets in relation to the Russian "pop king" Philip Kirkorov, such as, for example, "Pokemonchik" or "Filipponchik" and "Philipplushushkin" sometimes shortened to " Buns. " “After all, he is really sweet, like a bun. I really want to eat it,” assure fanatically loyal fans. In this case, the litota conveys several semantic meanings at once, gently combining the singer’s passion for a particular breed of dog, space, and God knows what else with his carefully formed image of the sweet-voiced “pop idol”. It is interesting that in encyclopedias of the future, along with the hyperbolic Grozny and the Great, will Philip Sweet be used?
Who is against the litoty?
Litota as an understatement is always opposed to hyperbole - exaggeration. When the rhetoric of 7 free arts was still studied in every princely or monastery school, hyperbole was a single form for exaggeration and understatement. And now there’s only an exaggeration left for the hyperbola’s share, and the ratio, the simplification, the reduction, and the clarification are left for the litota’s share. Small and remote this path, this our litota. Examples of litoty are most often found in fairy tales. Thumbelina is a litota. And Nekrasovsky "little man with a marigold." By the way, both heroes defeat all troubles and cope with tasks much faster and more efficiently than the hyperbolic Robin Bobin Barabek. The giant Goliath is almost always defeated by little David. And why? Apparently, because folk wisdom is inherent in seeing strength in weakness and smallness, and not in exaggerated power. The acorn is small, but grows into a large tree. Sometimes in the tree of the world.
Softening trail
Sometimes we use litota in order to soften one or another harsh expression. You can directly say: “Cows do not fly,” but a valuable farm animal can be offended. If we want to be more diplomatic, we use litota as a stylistic means of softening the tonality and say that “for the performance of this exercise, the cow has imperfect aerodynamic characteristics”. And the meaning is conveyed, and no one is offended. So in the practice of diplomats appears its litota. Examples of litota are diplomatic and more vivid. "The rebels on the Maidan show dissatisfaction," the American ambassador will say, reacting to the burned house of the Trade Unions. Like any good weapon, a litota belongs not only to one side, the people, but can also be used by the opposing side. But not always successful. As a double-edged weapon, it can be turned against the gigantism that the ambassador’s nation suffers from. If a litota always defeats a hyperbole, then the days of the world gendarme are numbered.
Litota and Russian literature
If you try to recall the category of "Litota. Examples from the literature ”, the first result that came to mind would be Griboedov’s“ Spitz no more than a thimble ”. But it is not interesting. It is always more interesting to search for a litota not a straight line, but hidden in any other constructions at first glance. For example, from Eugene Onegin, where an efficient person is given the right to "think about the beauty of nails." This is also a litota, a deliberate decrease in the significance of the image while maintaining the expressed strength of the actor.
If we talk about litota as a toolbox of sarcasm and cynicism, then turning the image of Raskolnikov into a joke “one hundred old women is already a ruble” is a litota of idea. A deliberate decrease in the ideology that led to the assassination, the “I have the right to” ideology, the reduction of dignity and superhuman ideology to banal self-interest, and the ditto of Dostoevsky’s super sense of philosophy to Kharms’s simple humor “and the old women all fell.”
Language proficiency training
If you want to replenish your vocabulary in order to be able to give a decent definition of what litota is, examples from fiction are exactly what you need. Since reading literary works not only enriches the vocabulary, but also decently develops the very imagery of human thinking. Take a newspaper article or a volume of Pushkin and independently find where such a litota is hidden, examples of its use will help expand the expressiveness of your own speech baggage. In addition, do not forget that it is better to not say than to say more than necessary. So, the more litot, the finer and more expressive the speech, the more meanings can be used and in fewer cases risk being accused of inaccuracy. And those who want to succeed in the diplomatic or journalistic field should try to make the most of the capabilities of this tool. Increasingly, a litota has recently been encountered in the Russian language. Look for examples of it better in folk tales.