statement
statement – aggettivo
You can jazz up a plain outfit with a statement necklace.
Today I’m wearing one of my favourite statement pieces, a Dolce and Gabbana jacket.
As we all know, statement jewellery is big this season.
Statement shoes are a great way to add colour and detail to your look.
This beautiful mirror would make a fantastic statement piece for a living room.
Abbiamo visto di recente come il sostantivo street sia diventato un aggettivo a tutti gli effetti, con un significato proprio; il termine di cui ci occupiamo oggi, statement, ha seguito la stessa strada, anche se come aggettivo ha solo funzione attributiva, a differenza di street, per cui non si può dire, ad esempio: Those earrings are so statement!
Il significato principale di statement è quello di ‘affermazione, dichiarazione’:
The minister is due to make a statement this afternoon.
Ma to make a statement si usa anche quando si fa qualcosa per trasmettere un messaggio:
I joined the march because I wanted to make a statement about women’s rights.
Analogamente, indossare qualcosa o arredare la casa in un certo modo può voler significare ‘sono originale e imprevedibile, diverso dagli altri’:
Prints are an easy way to make a statement with a basic item like a sundress.
Da questo al preporre il sostantivo a un altro sostantivo per dare più forza all’espressione, il passo è stato breve.
Origini del termine
Il fatto che statement con valore aggettivale sia usato principalmente per descrivere abiti e accessori si spiega con la sua nascita nell’ambito delle riviste di moda, dove spesso si gioca con le parole per creare nuove espressioni e mantenere il linguaggio giornalistico sempre fresco. Un’altra caratteristica del linguaggio del settore è l’uso del singolare per il plurale, ed è così che nascono espressioni tipo a linen trouser, a heeled boot ecc.
Traduzione di Loredana Riu
statement – adjective
You can jazz up a plain outfit with a statement necklace.
Today I’m wearing one of my favourite statement pieces, a Dolce and Gabbana jacket.
As we all know, statement jewellery is big this season.
Statement shoes are a great way to add colour and detail to your look.
This beautiful mirror would make a fantastic statement piece for a living room.
We recently looked at how the noun street became a fully fledged adjective with its own distinct meaning. A similar thing has happened to the noun statement, although unlike street it can only be used attributively, so you can’t (yet) say: Those earrings are so statement!
The fundamental meaning of the noun statement is, of course, something that is said, especially publicly and especially about an important subject:
The minister is due to make a statement this afternoon.
But you can also make a statement when you do something that conveys a message:
I joined the march because I wanted to make a statement about women’s rights.
It’s a short step from there to using something you wear or drive or have in your home to say ‘I’m original and adventurous and different from everyone else’:
Prints are an easy way to make a statement with a basic item like a sundress.
And from there it’s only a short hop to sticking the noun before another noun, thus conveying your meaning in a punchier, more economical way.
Origins
The fact that adjectival statement is used mainly to describe clothes and fashion accessories suggests that it had its origin in women’s magazines, which love to keep the language fresh by playing around with it. Another feature of fashion journalism is to refer to things that are usually plural – like jeans, shoes, pants – in the singular: a linen trouser, a heeled boot and so on.
