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{{Globalize|article|the British Empire|date=January 2013}} |
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{{Wiktionary|understatement}} |
{{Wiktionary|understatement}} |
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'''Understatement''' is a form of speech or disclosure which contains an expression of lesser strength than would be expected |
'''Understatement''' is a form of speech or disclosure which contains an expression of lesser strength than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with [[euphemism]], where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression. |
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==British humour== |
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The figure of speech used in understatement, [[litotes]], is always deliberate.<ref name=Smyth>{{cite book | last=Smyth | first=Herbert Weir |authorlink=Herbert Weir Smyth | year=1920 | title=Greek Grammar | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TK9MAAAAMAAJ&dq=%23+Smyth,+Herbert+Weir+(1920).+Greek+Grammar&printsec=frontcover#PPA680,M1 | publisher=Harvard University Press | location=Cambridge MA | isbn=0-674-36250-0 | page=680}}</ref> |
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Understatement is a staple of humour in English-speaking cultures. For example, in ''[[Monty Python's The Meaning of Life]]'', a suburban dinner party is invaded by Death, who wears a long black cloak and carries a scythe. "Well," says one party guest, "that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?" In another scene, an Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, "Stings a bit." |
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;Other examples: |
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==In English culture== |
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{{main|English understatement}} |
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*The well-known [[Victorian era|Victorian]] critique of [[Cleopatra]]'s behaviour as exemplified in [[Sarah Bernhardt]]'s performance in ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'': "How different, how very different, from the home life of our own dear [[Queen Victoria|Queen]]!".<ref>The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, rev. 4th ed., Anonymous, 14:12, which notes that the quote is "probably apocryphal"</ref> |
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Understatement is often associated with traditional [[English understatement|English culture]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Understatements and Hedges in English |first=Axel |last=Hübler |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing |year=1983 |isbn=978-9027225313}}</ref> where it may be used for comic effect,<ref>{{cite web | title=Monty Python's Meaning of Life Script Part 1 | url=http://www.montypython.net/meaningmm2.php | publisher=MontyPython.net | accessdate=5 June 2015}}</ref><ref>The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, rev. 4th ed., Anonymous, 14:12, which notes that the quote is "probably apocryphal".</ref> or may refer to the verbally calm English way of dealing with extreme situations.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1316777/The-day-650-Glosters-faced-10000-Chinese.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=The day 650 Glosters faced 10,000 Chinese | date=20 April 2001}}</ref><ref name="Air Disaster">{{cite book | last=[[Macarthur Job|Job]]| first=Macarthur | title=Air Disaster Volume 2| publisher=Aerospace Publications | year=1994 | isbn=1-875671-19-6 | pages=96–107}}</ref> |
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*In April 1951, 650 British fighting men - soldiers and officers from the 1st Battalion, the [[Gloucestershire Regiment]] - were deployed on the most important crossing on the [[Imjin]] River to block the traditional invasion route to Seoul. The [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese]] had sent an entire division - 10,000 men - to smash the isolated Glosters aside in a major offensive to take the whole Korean peninsula, and the small force was gradually surrounded and overwhelmed. After two days' fighting, an American, Major General [[Robert H Soule]], asked the British brigadier, [[Thomas Brodie]]: "How are the Glosters doing?" The brigadier, schooled in Britain and thus British humour, replied: "A bit [[Sticky wicket|sticky]], things are pretty sticky down there." To American ears, this did not sound desperate, and so he ordered them to stand fast. Only 40 Glosters managed to escape.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1316777/The-day-650-Glosters-faced-10000-Chinese.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=The day 650 Glosters faced 10,000 Chinese | date=20 April 2001}}</ref> |
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* During the Kuala-Lumpur-to-Perth leg of [[British Airways Flight 9]] on 24 June 1982, [[volcanic ash]] caused all four engines of the [[Boeing 747]] aircraft to fail. Although pressed for time as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, Captain Eric Moody still managed to make an announcement to the passengers: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."<ref name="Air Disaster">{{cite book | last=[[Macarthur Job|Job]]| first=Macarthur | title=Air Disaster Volume 2| publisher=Aerospace Publications | year=1994 | isbn=1-875671-19-6 | pages=96–107}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[Hyperbole]] |
* [[Hyperbole]] |
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* [[Litotes]] |
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* [[Meiosis (figure of speech)]] |
* [[Meiosis (figure of speech)]] |
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* [[Minimisation (psychology)]] |
* [[Minimisation (psychology)]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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<references /> |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Media manipulation}} |
{{Media manipulation}} |
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[[Category:English phrases]] |
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[[Category:Public relations techniques]] |
[[Category:Public relations techniques]] |
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[[Category:Rhetorical techniques]] |
[[Category:Rhetorical techniques]] |
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Revision as of 17:53, 23 May 2016
 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the British Empire and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (January 2013) |
Look up understatement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Understatement is a form of speech or disclosure which contains an expression of lesser strength than what would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression.
British humour
Understatement is a staple of humour in English-speaking cultures. For example, in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, a suburban dinner party is invaded by Death, who wears a long black cloak and carries a scythe. "Well," says one party guest, "that's cast rather a gloom over the evening, hasn't it?" In another scene, an Army officer has just lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he looks down at his bloody stump and responds, "Stings a bit."
- Other examples
- The well-known Victorian critique of Cleopatra's behaviour as exemplified in Sarah Bernhardt's performance in Antony and Cleopatra: "How different, how very different, from the home life of our own dear Queen!".[1]
- In April 1951, 650 British fighting men - soldiers and officers from the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment - were deployed on the most important crossing on the Imjin River to block the traditional invasion route to Seoul. The Chinese had sent an entire division - 10,000 men - to smash the isolated Glosters aside in a major offensive to take the whole Korean peninsula, and the small force was gradually surrounded and overwhelmed. After two days' fighting, an American, Major General Robert H Soule, asked the British brigadier, Thomas Brodie: "How are the Glosters doing?" The brigadier, schooled in Britain and thus British humour, replied: "A bit sticky, things are pretty sticky down there." To American ears, this did not sound desperate, and so he ordered them to stand fast. Only 40 Glosters managed to escape.[2]
- During the Kuala-Lumpur-to-Perth leg of British Airways Flight 9 on 24 June 1982, volcanic ash caused all four engines of the Boeing 747 aircraft to fail. Although pressed for time as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, Captain Eric Moody still managed to make an announcement to the passengers: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress."[3]
See also
References
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, rev. 4th ed., Anonymous, 14:12, which notes that the quote is "probably apocryphal"
- ^ "The day 650 Glosters faced 10,000 Chinese". The Daily Telegraph. 20 April 2001.
- ^ Job, Macarthur (1994). Air Disaster Volume 2. Aerospace Publications. pp. 96–107. ISBN 1-875671-19-6.