Have you ever heard of diacope? It’s a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated with one or two intervening words. 

For example, let’s say you’re writing an essay and want to emphasize that “the cost of college tuition has increased sharply in recent years.” 

If your instructor calls for the use of diacope (which is pretty likely), you could write something like this:

“The cost of college tuition has increased sharply in recent years. Due to inflation, the prices have risen exponentially over the past decade.” 

That way, both parts read “The cost…has increased sharply in recent years”, but it gives them some variety by moving from past tense (“increased”) to present tense (“has risen”).

What Is Diacope?

Diacope, also known as “diacophony,” is a rhetorical device that involves repeating a word or phrase with one or two intervening words or phrases.

This repetition creates a sense of emphasis and emphasis, and can help to drive the reader’s attention to a specific idea or concept.

One of the most famous examples of diacope can be found in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he repeats the phrase “I have a dream” several times throughout the speech.

This repetition helps to reinforce the central idea of the speech and to create a sense of unity and solidarity among the audience.

In addition to its use in speeches, diacope can also be found in literature, advertising, and everyday conversation.

For instance, a character in a novel might say, “I don’t want to go, I really don’t want to go.”

In this sentence, the repetition of the phrase “I don’t want to go” adds emphasis to the character’s reluctance and helps to create a sense of tension and conflict.

Despite its effectiveness, diacope can be a difficult figure of speech to master. It requires a keen ear for language and a sense of timing, as well as an understanding of the overall structure and flow of a text.

However, with practice and attention to detail, anyone can learn to use diacope to add emphasis and clarity to their writing.

Examples of Diacope In Use

  • “Bond. James Bond.” — James Bond
  • “Put out the light, and then put out the light.” — Shakespeare, Othello, Act V, scene 2.
  • “A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse! — Richard III
  • “You think you own whatever land you land on” — Second verse from the song “Colors of the Wind” from the movie Pocahontas
  • Leo Marks’s poem “The Life That I Have”, memorably used in the film Odette, is an extended example of diacope:

The life that I have

Is all that I have

And the life that I have

Is yours.

The love that I have

Of the life that I have

Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have

A rest I shall have

Yet death will be but a pause.

For the peace of my years

In the long green grass

Will be yours and yours and yours.

The first line in the poem not to deploy diacope is the one about death being “a pause.”

  • “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.” — Paul Harvey. This is also an example of an epanalepsis.

Diacope As A Rhetorical Device

Diacope is a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated with one or two intervening words. 

For instance, “No, it can’t be true; no, it can’t be true.” This repetition creates rhythm and also draws attention to an idea or phrase. 

Diacope can also be used as an alternative to anaphora (repetition of the first word or phrase of a clause), as in this example: “I have been known to eat chocolate ice cream; I have been known not only to eat chocolate ice cream but also root beer floats.”

Here’s another example:

The moon was rising over the fields and forests of Japan. The moon was rising over the fields and forests of Japan…

Diacope – Wrapping Up

Diacope is a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase is repeated with one or two intervening words.

Diacope can be used to emphasize the repetition, but it’s not always clear whether the emphasis is intentional or not.