Literary notes about polysyllable (AI summary)
The term "polysyllable" has been utilized in literature not only in its literal sense but also as a rich metaphor for complexity and nuance. In Coleridge’s work, the adjective is employed to highlight the multi-syllabic structure of languages such as German and Greek, suggesting a natural complexity inherent to these tongues [1]. Conversely, Dickens uses "polysyllable" to evoke the idea of multifaceted emotions and discords, comparing even a brief word to the layered intricacies found in a polysyllabic term [2]. Rabelais, on his part, adopts the expression in a more figurative and lively context, implying fullness and exuberance in both speech and action, as seen in his vivid portrayal of animal communication [3].
- The German, not less than the Greek, is a polysyllable language.
— from Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Spite is a little word; but it represents as strange a jumble of feelings, and compound of discords, as any polysyllable in the language.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - The dog yelps at another gate’s rate when he is among his bitches; there he is polysyllable enough, my life for yours.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais
