Hypophora, also referred to as anthypophora or antipophora, is a

figure of speech A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use in order to produce a rhetorical effect. Figures of speech are traditionally classified into '' schemes,'' which vary the ordinary ...

in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question.Silva Rhetoricae (2006)
"Anthypophora"

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. Hypophora can consist of a single question answered in a single sentence, a single question answered in a paragraph or even a section, or a series of questions, each answered in subsequent paragraphs. Hypophora is used (1) as a transitional device, to take the discussion in a new direction, (2) a device to catch attention, since a reader's curiosity is stimulated by hearing a question, and (3) to suggest and answer questions the reader might not have thought of.

History

The word anthypophora is present in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

Willamette University College of Law (2006)
Anthypophora (and Relatives)
and is mentioned by the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

orator

Quintilian Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (; 35 – 100 AD) was a Roman educator and rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing. In English translation, he is usually referred to as Quintilia ...

in his book ''

Institutio Oratoria ''Institutio Oratoria'' (English: Institutes of Oratory) is a twelve-volume textbook on the theory and practice of rhetoric by Roman rhetorician Quintilian. It was published around year 95 AD. The work deals also with the foundational education ...

''. In ''Institutio Oratoria'', Quintilian merely identifies anthypophora as a device used to verify the truth of something, and does not mention raising a hypothetical question or objection.Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria IX.3.87
/ref> An earlier work by the Greek rhetorician

Gorgias Gorgias (; grc-gre, Γοργίας; 483–375 BC) was an ancient Greek sophist, pre-Socratic philosopher, and rhetorician who was a native of Leontinoi in Sicily. Along with Protagoras, he forms the first generation of Sophists. Several doxogr ...

mentions anthypophora in its current definition, that is, presenting an opposing argument and then refuting it. The 16th-century English

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

al handbook ''The Arte of English Poesie'', reputedly by

George Puttenham George Puttenham (1529–1590) was an English writer and literary critic. He is generally considered to be the author of the influential handbook on poetry and rhetoric, ''The Arte of English Poesie'' (1589). Family and early life Puttenham wa ...

, gives the current definition of Anthypophora as well as numerous examples.The Shakespeare Authorship Page (2006)
The Arte of English Poesie (From Book 3, Chapter 19)
/ref>

Hypophora vs. anthypophora

In recent times, a division has arisen between the definitions of hypophora and anthypophora. The ''

Century Dictionary ''The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia'' is one of the largest encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language. In its day it was compared favorably with the ''Oxford English Dictionary,'' and frequently consulted for more factual informati ...

'' identifies hypophora as the dissenting statement or question and anthypophora as the reply to the question.The Century Dictionary (2006)
Hypophora; Anthypophora
/ref> Thus the two terms have come to embrace both elements of hypophora, as well as dealing with the whole concept.

Effect

The rhetorical effectiveness lies in allowing the speaker to answer questions the listener may have. For instance, in

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of J ...

, Paul is explaining

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and he says "''Is He'' the God of the Jews only? ''Is He'' not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also" (Romans 3.29). In this manner, Paul confirms to the reader that God is god of both the Jews and Gentiles.VirtualSalt (2006)
A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices
/ref>

References

* Cuddon, J.A., ed. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory.'' 3rd ed. Penguin Books: New York, 1991. * {{reflist

External links

Audio illustrations of hypophora
Figures of speech Rhetorical techniques

History

Hypophora vs. anthypophora

Effect

See also

References

External links