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AFFECTATION

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | | Copyright

AFFECTATION. Behaviour that does not come easily or naturally and therefore seems stilted, false, and often exaggerated. People ‘affecting’ the STYLE or ACCENT of an élite may be dismissed or condemned as putting on airs or getting above themselves. Élites affecting particular usages, however, may be regarded as leaders of fashion. In the 18c, ‘polite’ society in England affected fashionable French expressions, while in Scotland it affected both fashionable French and English expressions. In some parts of the world in the late 20c, affectation may include adding words and phrases of English to a local language or using English instead of that language. See GENTEELISM, HYPERCORRECTION, KENSINGTON, MORNINGSIDE AND KELVINSIDE, OXFORD ENGLISH, USAGE.

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TOM McARTHUR. "AFFECTATION." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "AFFECTATION." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-AFFECTATION.html

TOM McARTHUR. "AFFECTATION." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-AFFECTATION.html

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affectation

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

af·fec·ta·tion / ˌafekˈtāshən/ • n. behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress: she called the room her boudoir, which he thought an affectation. ∎ a studied display of real or pretended feeling: an affectation of calm.

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"affectation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"affectation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-affectation.html

"affectation." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-affectation.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	"O Vanity!" Fielding's other antisocial affectation. Magazine article from: Philological Quarterly; 3/22/2010
	Letter: Affectation spreads like a virus.(Features) Newspaper article from: The Birmingham Post (England); 3/2/2002
	Stereo Total brings European affectations via 'Paris-Berlin'.(Time... Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 8/31/2007