English
literature
see also: Literature
Pronunciation
  • (British) IPA: /ˈlɪ.tə.ɹɪ.tʃə(ɹ)/, /ˈlɪ.tɹɪ.tʃə(ɹ)/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈlɪ.tɚ.ɪ.tʃɚ/, /ˈlɪ.tɚ.ə.tʃɚ/, /ˈlɪ.tʃɹə.tʃɚ/, /ˈlɪ.tɚ.tʃɚ/
  • (Midwestern US English) IPA: /ˈlɪ.tə.tʃɚ/
Noun

literature (uncountable)

  1. The body of all written works.
  2. The collected creative writing of a nation, people, group or culture.
  3. (usually preceded by the) All the papers, treatises etc. published in academic journals on a particular subject.
    • The obvious question to ask at this point is: ‘Why posit the existence of a set of Thematic Relations (THEME, AGENT, INSTRUMENT, etc.) distinct from constituent structure relations?ʼ The answer given in the relevant literature is that a variety of linguistic phenomena can be accounted for in a more principled way in terms of Thematic Functions than in terms of constituent structure relations.
  4. Written fiction of a high standard.
    However, even “literary” science fiction rarely qualifies as literature, because it treats characters as sets of traits rather than as fully realized human beings with unique life stories. —Adam Cadre, 2008
Related terms Translations Translations Translations
Literature
Noun

literature (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of literature, especially when defined as a school subject.


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