Foregrounding
/ˈfɔːr.ɡraʊn.dɪŋ/noun
The act of making something prominent or especially noticeable in speech, writing, or art.
Did you know?In literary theory, foregrounding is the art of making language feel strange or intensified so it snaps out of automatic perception, a technique that turns ordinary words into something almost spell-like.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghor-
“enclosure, space within boundaries”
Old English
OE
grund
“bottom, foundation, surface of the earth”
Middle English
ME
foregrunde
“the front part or foremost position”
19th Century
English
foreground
“the part nearest the viewer; the most prominent part”
20th Century
English
foregrounding
“the technique of making language or artistic features stand out”