Word play or wordplay is a literary technique and a form of wit in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, and telling character names are common examples of word play.
Word play is quite common in oral cultures as a method of reinforcing meaning.
Examples of visual orthographic and sound-based word play abound in both alphabetically and non-alphabetically written literature (e.g. Chinese).
Read more about Word Play: Techniques, Examples, Related Phenomena
Famous quotes containing the words word and/or play:
“Every word has its fragrance: there is a harmony and a disharmony of fragrances, and hence of words.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Come children, let us shut up the box and the puppets, for our play is played out.”
—William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)