Litotes

In rhetoric, litotes, also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour, is a figure of speech and form of irony in which understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for effect. A form of understatement, litotes can be in the form of meiosis, and is always deliberate with the intention of emphasis. However, the interpretation of negation may depend on context, including cultural context. In speech, litotes may also depend on intonation and emphasis; for example, the phrase "not bad" can be intonated differently so as to mean either "mediocre" or "excellent". Along the same lines, litotes can be used, to euphemistically provide emphasis by diminishing the harshness of an observation; "He isn't the cleanest person I know" could be used to indicate that someone is a messy person.
The use of litotes is common in English, Russian, German, Yiddish, Dutch, Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ukrainian, Polish, Chinese, French, Czech and Slovak, and is prevalent in some other languages and dialects. It is a feature of Old English poetry and of the Icelandic sagas and is a means of much stoical restraint.
The word litotes is of Greek origin, meaning 'simplicity', and is derived from the word λιτός, meaning 'plain, simple, small or meager'.

Classical litotes

The first known mention of litotes is in a letter from Cicero in 55 BC. Cicero uses the word to mean simplicity of life. The meaning and the function of the word changed from 'simple' to the idea of understatement that involves double negatives, a way to state things simply.
Old Norse had several types of litotes. These points are denied negatives, denied positives, creating litotes without negating anything, and creating litotes using a negative adjective.

Litotes and ethos

Litotes can be used to establish ethos, or credibility, by expressing modesty or downplaying one's accomplishments to gain the audience's favor. In the book Rhetorica ad Herennium, litotes is addressed as a member of the Figures of Thought known as deminutio, or understatement. It is listed in conjunction with antenantiosis and meiosis, two other forms of rhetorical deminutio. For example, a very accomplished artist might say "I'm not a bad painter", and by refraining from bragging but still acknowledging his skill, the artist is seen as talented, modest, and credible.

Examples

Other languages

Classical Greek

In Classical Greek, instances of litotes can be found as far back as Homer. In Book 24 of the Iliad, Zeus describes Achilles as follows:, meaning that he is both wise and prudent.

French

In French, wikt:pas mal is used similarly to the English, while il n'est pas antipathique is another example, actually meaning il est très sympathique, though the speaker is reluctant to admit it. Another typical example is Ce n'est pas bête!, generally said to admit a clever suggestion without showing oneself as too enthusiastic.
One of the most famous litotes of French literature is in Pierre Corneille's Le Cid. The heroine, Chimène, says to her lover Rodrigue, who just killed her father: Va, je ne te hais point, meaning 'I love you'.

Chinese

In Chinese, the phrase 不错 is often used to present something as very good or correct. In this way, it is distinct in meaning from the English 'not bad' or the general use of the French pas mal. Also, the phrase 不简单 is used to refer to an impressive feat.

Danish

In Danish, understatements using litotes are seen as characteristic of the Jutlandic dialect. A stereotypical example is the phrase det er ikke så ringe endda, which is used to mean 'that's great'.

Dutch and German

Similarly, in Dutch, the phrase niet slecht is often used to present something as very good or correct, as is German nicht schlecht.

Italian

In Italian, meno male is similar to the English expression, 'So much the better' – used to comment that a situation is more desirable than its negative.

Latin

In Latin, an example of litotes can be found in Ovid's Metamorphoses: non semel, meaning 'on more than one occasion'. Some common words are derived from litotes: nonnulli from non nulli is understood to mean 'several', while nonnumquam from non numquam is used for 'sometimes'.

Russian

Perhaps the most common litotes in Russian is неплохо. Somewhat unusually, it is permissible to say something is очень неплохо to signify that it is, in fact, very good. An example of litotes can be found in Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector, in which the Mayor says: "There's no such thing as a man with no sins on his conscience", meaning 'All men have sins on their conscience'. In this case, it is used to downplay the Mayor's statement – a euphemism of sorts – making it less harsh than its understood meaning.