Anaphora is a rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of two or more successive clauses, sentences, or lines. Parameters: (1) the repeated element must be identical or near-identical in form, (2) the repetition must occur at the initial position of each unit, (3) there must be at least two occurrences to constitute the figure. Persistence mechanism: anaphora persists through explicit instruction in rhetorical pedagogy, through written exemplars in literary and oratorical texts, and through performative practice in spoken discourse — it is transmitted across generations by teachers, copied by scribes, and reproduced by speakers who learn the technique. [formal: anaphora | substrate: mind | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.98]
Accepted ontology entry
anaphora
Anaphora is a rhetorical figure of repetition in which the same word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of two or more successive clauses, sentences, or lines. Parameters: (1) the repeated element must be identical or near-identical in…
Definition
Why it is in scope
Anaphora is a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is deliberately repeated at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines. It is human-made: a conscious technique of composition, cultivated in oratory and poetry since antiquity, designed to create rhythm, emphasis, and emotional force. It persists through teaching (rhetorical handbooks), practice (speechwriting and composition), and cultural transmission across languages and genres.
Names and aliases
- anaphoraen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmr784qq1000ks126wltnuaxhDEPENDS_ON →
Anaphora constitutively depends on language — the mechanism of referring back to earlier discourse requires a linguistic system to operate. Remove language and anaphora cannot function. Present-tense necessity, not merely historical association.
- cmrmuk5tl01n1d1nllgxavhaeSERVES →
Anaphora — repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses — is built and maintained for the sake of persuasion. Its designed purpose in rhetoric is to create emphasis, rhythm, and emotional impact that strengthens argument. Law 8d: servant (anaphora) → master (persuasion).
- cmrmf7wqp001sd1nlgdko4rbiSERVES →
Anaphora (repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses) is a rhetorical figure designed for the sake of rhetoric — its purpose is to create rhythm, emphasis, and emotional build-up in speech and writing. For whose sake? servant (anaphora)→master (rhetoric), per Law 8d.
- cmrtfjde400049zhnv4xb5z4fINSTANCE_OF →
Anaphora is a specific kind of figure of speech — repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Competent-speaker test passes: anaphora is 'a figure of speech.' Nearest kind: no intermediate category exists.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 18, 2026, 4:57 PM UTC
- Content hash
- cf4d9c91ec1852aec27c284f8c00441597e61fe929365ca303d5c36d9cf95d64