Colon (rhetoric)

A colon (Greek κῶλον, pl. cola) is a rhetorical figure consisting of a clause which is grammatically, but not logically, complete. In Latin, it is called a membrum or membrum orationis.

Sentences consisting of two cola are called dicola; those with three are tricola. The corresponding adjectives are dicolic and tricolic; colic is not used in this sense.

An isocolon is a sentence composed of cola of equal syllabic length.

Septuagint used this system in the poetic books. When Jerome translated the books of Prophets, he arranged the text colometrically.

The colometric system was used by bilingual codices of New Testament, f.e. Codex Bezae, Codex Claromontanus. Also some Greek and Latin manuscript used this system, including Codex Coislinianus and Codex Amiatinus.

See also

• Comma (rhetoric)

External references

• Colon: Part of a glossary of classical rhetorical terms.
• 'The Colon as Linguistic Sentence', section of a dissertation on rhetoric discussing the nature of the colon.

Bibliography

• B.M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration, Oxford University Press, 1992, pp. 29-30.

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