文体
Meaning
Literary style; writing style; prose style. The characteristic manner in which a writer uses language, including sentence structure, diction, rhythm, and tone.
A noun covering all aspects of how a text is written rather than what it says. 文体論 (buntairon) is the field of stylistics. Scholars and critics analyse 文体 to identify authorship, date texts, or evaluate artistic achievement. In translation, preserving the author's 文体 is considered as important as conveying meaning. Readers often recognise a writer instantly by their 文体 alone.
Examples
- この作家の文体は独特で、句読点の使い方ひとつでそれとわかる。 This author's style is distinctive — you can recognise it from the very way the punctuation is used.
- 文体の変化を辿ることで、作家の思想的な変遷が浮き彫りになってくる。 By tracing the evolution of an author's style, the intellectual shifts in their thinking come into relief.
- 優れた翻訳者は原文の内容だけでなく、著者の文体をも日本語で再現しようとする。 A skilled translator strives to reproduce in Japanese not only the content of the original but also the author's prose style.
Usage Guide
Context: literary criticism, translation, writing instruction, stylistics, academia
Tone: analytical
Origin & History
Compound of 文 (bun, text/writing) and 体 (tai, body/form/style). The second character 体 in this usage means 'manner' or 'form,' paralleling its use in compounds such as 字体 (jitai, typeface/letterform) and 書体 (shotai, calligraphic style).
Cultural Context
Era: Meiji–Modern
Generation: Educated adults
Social background: Educated
Related Phrases
Flashcards, quizzes, audio pronunciation and spaced repetition