Definition

Noun: 1. A person's characteristic style or mode of oral expression: This refers to the distinctive way an individual uses language when talking, encompassing elements like tone, pace, formality, word choice, and habitual phrases.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • His precise and measured manner of speaking commanded attention in the courtroom.
  • The professor's manner of speaking was so engaging that students rarely missed a lecture.
  • I could tell she was from the region by her distinctive manner of speaking.

Advanced Usage

• "In a manner of speaking": This is an idiomatic phrase used to indicate that a statement is not literally or strictly true, but is a way of expressing an idea; similar to "so to speak" or "figuratively speaking."
  • He is, in a manner of speaking, the heart and soul of this project.

Variants and Related Words

• Speech (n): The faculty or act of speaking; spoken communication. (Note: While closely related, "speech" is broader and can refer to a formal address or the general ability to talk, whereas "manner of speaking" is specifically about stylistic qualities.)
• Delivery (n): The style or method of giving a speech or presentation.
• Diction (n): The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
• Idiolect (n): (Linguistics) The speech habits peculiar to a particular person.

Synonyms

• Delivery
• Speech
• Diction
• Elocution (especially regarding skill in clear and expressive speech)
• Paralanguage (Linguistics: the non-lexical components of communication, such as tone and pitch)

Related Phrases

• Turn of phrase: A particular or characteristic way of expressing something in words.
  • She has a very witty turn of phrase.

Related Idioms

• In a manner of speaking: As explained in the 'Advanced Usage' section, this idiom qualifies a statement as being true in a certain figurative or approximate sense.
  • We're all family here, in a manner of speaking.

Noun

1. your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally
   • his manner of speaking was quite abrupt
   • her speech was barren of southernisms
   • I detected a slight accent in his speech