hypotaxis
- noun
- /ˌhaɪpəˈtæksɪs/
- Specialized
:
hipotaxis
- In Halliday's terms, hypotaxis is the relation between a dependent element and its dominant, and parataxis is the relation between two like elements of equal status (Introduction 218).
Examples
-
While the use of hypotaxis can slow down the pace of a passage, the use of parataxis can speed it up.
Academic text (1997) -
Such passages look strange to modern readers because we have moved away from parataxis and toward hypotaxis.
Academic text (2005) -
HYPOTAXIS: see Zimmerman, "Versatility" (101-02).
Academic text (1999) -
PARATAXIS: a scheme involving phrases or independent clauses set one after the other without subordination and often without coordinating conjunctions (such as and, but, or) -- the opposite of hypotaxis and similar to asyndeton:
Academic text (1997) -
The use of hypotaxis can effectively show how different ideas are related in a sentence.
-
By employing hypotaxis, the writer clarified the connection between complex concepts.
-
In literature, hypotaxis helps detail relationships between characters' motivations and actions.
Synonyms
Putting a clause inside another clause to make a longer, more complex sentence
How Hypotactic
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
hypotaxis = taxis (opaque) = hypo + taxis
Although the word is historically built from hypo- + taxis, the sense 'subordination of clauses' is not directly guessable from the parts for most learners.
Etymology
The word hypotaxis comes from the Greek parts hypo- meaning 'under' and taxis meaning 'arrangement', the same root you see in syntax. So hypotaxis is about arranging clauses 'under' a main clause, which is why it means using subordinate clauses to show how ideas are related.
