Phrasis

Phrasis is a term used in linguistic and literary studies to refer to the study and use of phrases—the units of language that lie between single words and full sentences. Derived from the Greek phrasis, meaning expression or phrase, the concept emphasizes how phrasing shapes meaning, style, and discourse beyond the literal content of individual words.

In linguistic analysis, phrasis covers the structure, function, and interpretation of phrase-level units such as idioms, collocations, fixed expressions, and phrasal constructions. It examines how phrases interact with syntax and semantics, how their meaning can be idiosyncratic or conventional, and how context affects interpretation. The study often overlaps with phraseology and collocation research, and it can involve corpus-based methods to quantify how often particular phrases occur and how their usage shifts over time.

In rhetoric and literary studies, phrasis focuses on the craft of phrasing—the deliberate selection and arrangement of words to achieve effect, rhythm, emphasis, or persuasion. It encompasses devices such as metaphor, metonymy, alliteration, and parallelism, all of which rely on phrase-level choices to convey impact. Phrasis is distinct from ecphrasis, which describes an extended, vivid representation of a scene or object, whereas phrasis centers on the phrasing itself.

Applications of phrasis include linguistic analysis of idiomatic language, translation studies concerned with preserving or adapting phraseology, and stylistic criticism aimed at identifying an author’s distinctive phrasing.