Word Confusion: Anthropomorphism versus Personification

Posted September 14, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

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I’ve always enjoyed the anthropomorphic in a story — Peter Rabbit does come to mind. That bunny always makes me feel all warm and cozy.

Unfortunately, anthropomorphism, a human behavior or act performed by a nonhuman entity, is frequently confused with personification, a picture or representation of a nonhuman entity possessing a human trait. It doesn’t help that both are figures of speech.

A figure of speech is a literary device, and in this case, it’s used to pull your readers into the story using more colorful metaphors that give additional life to your writing.

Anthropomorphism helps to bring life to a fictional character or make an object more human-like or relatable.

Personification allows animals, concepts, or objects to act like human beings.

“The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.”

– Carl Sandburg

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Anthropomorphism	Personification
Lord Vishnu Narayana is an oil painting on canvas by Beata Denisa and was uploaded by Senzher. It is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — The god Vishnu is the preserver and protector of the universe, restoring the balance of good and evil.	The North Wind and the Sun is an illustration by Milo Winter for The Æsop for Children by Æsop, which was uploaded by Tagishsimon and is in the public domain courtesy of the Project Gutenberg archives, via Wikimedia Commons. — The wind attempts to strip the traveler of his cloak.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: anthropomorphisms	Noun Plural: personifications
Non-humans acting human The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object	Looking human Giving human traits to nonhuman, abstract things, or representing a quality or concept in human form A figure intended to represent an abstract quality [In singular] A person, animal, or object regarded as representing or embodying a quality, concept, or thing
Examples:
Primitive peoples created stories about deities who fell in love, married, had children, fought battles, wielded weapons, and rode horses and chariots to explain natural phenomena, creation, and historical events. People also used gods and goddesses to represent beauty, wisdom, power, and human weaknesses such as greed, hatred, jealousy, and uncontrollable anger. The rabbit from Alice in Wonderland is an excellent example of anthropomorphism. The characters in Thomas The Tank Engine, Clifford: The Big Red Dog, and Martha Speaks are all examples of anthropomorphism.	My computer hates me. The design on the franc shows Marianne, the personification of the French republic. He was the very personification of British pluck and diplomacy. Lightning danced across the sky. The wind howled in the night. The car complained as the key was roughly turned in its ignition. Rita heard the last piece of pie calling her name. My alarm clock yells at me to get out of bed every morning. Consider the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” with animals and objects that can run, laugh, and more. “Hey, diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon; The little dog laughed To see such sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon.” Examples
Derivatives:
Adjective: anthropomorphic Adverb: anthropomorphically, anthropomorphously Noun: anthropomorph, anthropomorphist	Noun: nonpersonifcation, personificator, personifier Verb: personify
History of the Word:
It was first recorded in 1745–55; anthropo- + -morphism.	It was first recorded in 1745–55; personi(fy) + -fication.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Anthropomorphism versus Personification

Apple Dictionary.com

Blakely, Dr. Charita. “To Be, or Not to Be: A Grammatical Error.” Aces Editors.org. 20 Aug 2021. Web. 11 Sept 2021. <https://aceseditors.org/news/2021/to-be-or-not-to-be-a-grammatical-error>.

Dictionary.com: anthropomorphism

“Examples of Personification for Kids.” YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. 11 Sept 2021. <https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-personification-for-kids.html>.

“Personification vs Anthropomorphism.” Grammar. YourDictionary.com. n.d. Web. 11 Sept 2021. <https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar/style-and-usage/personification-vs-anthropomorphism.html>.

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