Parataxis (grammar)

Parataxis in grammar refers to placing together sentences, clauses or phrases without conjunctions.

In terms of syntax, parataxis may resemble asyndetic coordination, and sometimes it is difficult to draw a distinction between the two.

The term was introduced into linguisticsEdward Parmelee Morris, [http://books.google.com/books?id=Wo8NAAAAIAAJ&dq=parataxis "On Principles and Methods in Latin Syntax"] (1901), Chapter VI: "Parataxis"] by Friedrich Thiersch in his "Greek Grammar" in 1831. Since these times the conceptions behind the term was expanded and a number of various, often conflicting, definitions are available.

Parataxis may be considered from three different points of view:
*the psychological aspect,
*the linguistic means to express the paratactic relation,
*and the resulting sentence structure.

The underlying idea, important for understanding of the parataxis is that in a connected discourse the complete independence of the consecutive sentences rarely exists. This observation is captured in the expression "train of thought".

Consider the following four examples.
*Sun was shining bright. We went for a walk.
*Sun was shining bright; we went for a walk.
*Sun was shining bright and we went for a walk.
*Sun was shining bright, so we went for a walk.

One may conclude that in the first example the two sentences are independent expressions, while the last example is that of dependence. However the connection of thought in the first examples is just as real as in the last ones, where it is explicitly expressed via the syntax of subordination. In fact, the putting side by side (without any indication of a separation, e.g., of a pause) of two totally nonrelated sentences usually startles the listeners, who try to figure out whether the train of thought was lost for them. This arrangement is either an indication of a mental disorder of the narrator or of humor (similar to garden path sentence).

In spoken language, this continuance from sentence to sentence is supported by intonation and timing (rhythm, pause): while details may differ among different languages and cultures, generally similar musicality and shortness of pauses indicate the continuation, while, the change of tone and longer pause generally inticates the transition to another connected group of ideas.

The continuance of the "train of thought" may be both that of coordination and subordination.

This psychological understanding is exploited in the notion of parataxis as a rhetorical device.

References