Other-Initiated Repetition and Fictive Orality in the Dialogues of Plato

Abstract

Plato’s dialogues are some of the best-accomplished imitations of conversation from the ancient Greek world. There is a common consensus that he “could write in a manner which has the appearance or the illusion of everyday educated speech” and that “this can be regarded as reasonably evident a priori.”1 Plato’s achievement relies on a number of factors. In addition to using different linguistic styles, some to emulate the tone of spoken speech, his dialogues also render a number of interaction types and patterns perfectly. Thus, he not only masters the language of conversation, but also the art of conversation itself.

Repetition has a varied role to play in conversation. As we talk to each other, human beings tend to reiterate what we say for different purposes. Repetition serves as to emphasize, stress, and provide emotional value to an utterance, but it also helps a speaker to connect with the interlocutor or their words. Plato would have been well aware, as a writer, of the importance and frequency of such a phenomenon in everyday speech. In this way, it should come as no surprise to us that his dialogues show comparable instances as they recreate natural conversation. The aim of this paper is to study the form and function of other-initiated repetition in the works of Plato in order to better understand his literary technique.