Epizeuxis

In rhetoric, epizeuxis, also known as palilogia, is the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for vehemence or emphasis.[1][2] A closely related rhetorical device is diacope, which involves word repetition that is broken up by a single intervening word, or a small number of intervening words.[3]

As a rhetorical device, epizeuxis is utilized to create an emotional appeal, thereby inspiring and motivating the audience. However, epizeuxis can also be used for comic effect.[4]

Examples
  • "Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."—Winston Churchill
  • "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow/Creeps in this petty pace from day to day/To the last syllable of recorded time..."—William Shakespeare, Macbeth
  • "O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon"—John Milton, Samson Agonistes.
  • "Work, work, work, is the main thing"—Abraham Lincoln
  • "The horror, the horror"—Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
  • "Scotch, scotch, scotch, scotchy, scotchy scotch."—Ron Burgundy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
  • "Well, Well, Well..." — John Lennon, Well Well Well
  • "Our top priority was, is and always will be education, education, education"—Tony Blair[5]

See also
  • Anaphora
  • Diacope
  • Contrastive focus reduplication

References
  1. Arthur Quinn, Figures of Speech, Gibbs M. Smith, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, 1982.
  2. Nordquist, Richard (26 August 2020). "Definition and Examples of Epizeuxis in Rhetoric". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. "Epizeuxis". Literary Devices. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022.
  4. Gerard Hauser, Introduction to Rhetorical Theory, Waveland Press, Illinois, 2002.
  5. "Full text of Tony Blair's speech on education". www.theguardian.com. Guardian News & Media Limited. 23 May 2001. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
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