Hypophora

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rhetorical method in which a question is posed and subsequently answered by the speaker, often to stimulate audience engagement and highlight key concepts
2. This technique involves framing a question and providing an answer right after, serving to clarify ideas and maintain listener interest
3. A rhetorical strategy where an inquiry is raised and immediately addressed by the speaker, aimed at engaging the audience and emphasizing important themes

Etymology: Hypophora is the rhetorical figure in which a speaker raises a question and then answers it, often at length. The Greek original, "hupophora," combined "hupo," meaning "under" or "beneath," with "phora," from "pherein," meaning "to bear" or "carry." The sense is of something carried in response, a reply brought back in return. That image of an answer being borne forward fits the figure well, since the question is posed and the answer follows as its load. The term came to English through Latin, the language in which Greek rhetorical vocabulary was widely preserved and passed on to European scholars. Its use is confined almost entirely to the study of rhetoric, where it names a device that writers and orators have used for centuries to anticipate objections and guide an audience through an argument.