An anacoluthon is a rhetorical device that can be loosely defined as a change of syntax within a sentence. More specifically, anacoluthons (or "anacoluthia") are created when a sentence abruptly changes from one structure to another. A rhetorical device is a technique, sometimes called a resource of language, used by an author or speaker to induce an emotional response. ... In linguistics, syntax is the study of the rules, or patterned relations, that govern the way the words in a sentence are arranged. ... In linguistics, the sentence is a unit of language, characterised in most languages by the presence of a finite verb. ...

Anacoluthon is often used in stream of consciousness writing, such as that of James Joyce, because it is characteristic of informal human thought. In psychology and philosophy stream of consciousness, introduced by William James, is the set of constantly changing inner thoughts and sensations which an individual has while conscious, used as a synonym for stream of thought. ... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (February 2, 1882 – January 13, 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, and is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. ...

Examples

• Agreements entered into when one state of facts exists — are they to be maintained regardless of changing conditions? (John George Diefenbaker)
• Had ye been there — for what could that have done? (John Milton in Lycidas)

John George Diefenbaker (September 18, 1895 - August 16, 1979) was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada. ... John Milton John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, most famous for his blank verse epic Paradise Lost. ...

Etymology

The word 'anacoluthon' comes from the Greek 'anakolouthon' which translates to "inconsistency in logic". This, in turn, is the result of the prefix an (not) combined with the root akolouthos (following). Logic (from Classical Greek λόγος (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). ...

See also

• Figure of Speech
• Rhetoric

Anapodoton is a specific type of anacoluthon. Yeah, baby! A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetorical figure or device, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. ... Rhetoric (from Greek ρητωρ, rhêtôr, orator) is one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (the other members are dialectic and grammar). ...

Anacoluthon is sometimes (wrongly) confused with anacoloutha.

Trivia

The word, though not the underlying meaning, has been popularized, due to its use as an imprecation by Captain Haddock in the Tintin series of books. Belgian writer-artist Georges Remi, a. ... Tintin and Snowy (Tintin et Milou) are world travellers and inseparable friends in The Adventures of Tintin. ...

External links

Silva Rhetoricae reference