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There is nothing fancy about literal language—it is the use of words and phrases that mean exactly what they are supposed to.
There is nothing fancy about literal language—it is the use of words and phrases that mean exactly what they are supposed to.
Literal language - a literary technique which involves using words and phrases that reflect their dictionary definitions.
Introduction
Introduction
Literal language is straightforward: it is the direct representation of something using words and phrases that best reflect whatever that thing is.
Literal language is, literally, literal.
That said, it takes skill to represent something in both a literal and a creative way. When done correctly, however, it can offer a refreshing alternative to figurative language.
Non-figurative Language
Non-figurative Language
The figurative language guide on this website contains ten individual entries detailing specific types of figurative language.
By contrast, there is only a single entry devoted to literal language (the one you are reading right now).
Seems a little unfair, doesn't it?
Well, perhaps, but the thing about literal language is that it is, quite simply, what it is. That said, there is a certain freedom in both writing and reading language that does not require mental leaps to figure out what is being referred to. Rather, literal language relies on the use of precise vocabulary and phrasing to achieve an intended effect.
While it is most commonly used in oral conversations and nonfiction texts, literal language can also be used in fiction to communicate meaning and evoke specific moods.
After-Apple Picking
After-Apple Picking
Let's consider an example of literal language in poetry.
Robert Frost's After-Apple Picking is a poem about, well, picking apples.
Note how effectively the following passage draws the audience into the moment through its evocative use of literal language.
I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.
And I keep hearing from the cellar bin
The rumbling sound
Of load on load of apples coming in.
We do not need to catch any allusions or connect any metaphors or similes here: the language simply explains what it feels like to be an apple picker, clinging to a ladder while listening to load after load of apples being taken to a nearby cellar.
There is an elegance and simplicity to such literal expression, which can be a refreshing contrast to the use of figurative language.
Editor's Notes
Editor's Notes
You will occasionally hear people say things like I literally died when I saw her.
This is incorrect.
Because literal language means exactly what it says, in this case the person would have died when they saw the person, and would therefore be unable to say the phrase I literally died when I saw her. What the person should have said is I figuratively died when I saw her because they did not actually die, but felt as if they had.
It is an odd turn of fate that these expressions have become reversed, but usage dictates meaning, so don't be the one who corrects people when they say I literally..., because it won't get you many invites to dinner parties.
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