Latin Tropes

[Astrella]

So, there's something that has been bugging me; I'm looking for the name of the following Latin trope:

Announcing you're not going to state a certain fact, but in doing so still saying it. Along the lines of "I'm not going to say X is a liar, but...".

[Gaius Marius]

I doubt it's a Latin trope, but maybe this is what you are looking for?

Could Say It But... (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CouldSayItBut)

[Astrella]

I doubt it's a Latin trope, but maybe this is what you are looking for?

Could Say It But... (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CouldSayItBut)

No, I'm pretty sure it is. Primarily used by Pliny the Younger I think.

[Claudius Maximus]

Apophasis?

[Science Officer]

Apophasis?

Yup, that sounds like it.
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophasis), it would be, more specifically, paralipsis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophasis#Paralipsis).

[Astrella]

Yup, that sounds like it.
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophasis), it would be, more specifically, paralipsis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophasis#Paralipsis).

Yes, thank you both, that's what I was looking for. I learned it as Praeteritio.

[Flame of Anor]

I'll just point out here that "apophasis" and "paralipsis" are Greek words, though "praeteritio" is Latin.

Isn't "praeteritio" a tense, though?

[RTGoodman]

I think I learned it as antiphrasis back when translating Cicero's Catiline stuff. But yeah, it's all the same.

[Claudius Maximus]

I'll just point out here that "apophasis" and "paralipsis" are Greek words, though "praeteritio" is Latin.

Well praeteritio and paralepsis are basically synonymous to one another. I guess it's just preference, or maybe it's dependent on which language you're working with?


Isn't "praeteritio" a tense, though?

Are you thinking of the preterite tense? That comes from praetereo, which is admittedly closely etymologically related to praeteritio. So the answer is "kinda," because despite sharing the same basic building blocks "preterite" and "praeteritio" refer to different meanings of the word they're derived from.