Anacoluto is a figure of speech that is related to the syntax of sentences. For this reason, it is called syntax figure.
It is characterized by altering the logical sequence of sentence structure through a pause in speech. Thus, the anacolutton performs an “interruption” in the syntactic structure of the sentence.
Note that figures of speech are often used in poetic texts. That's because they offer more expressiveness to the text.
In the case of the anacoluto, most of the time, he emphasizes an idea or even a person from the speech.
Usually, the initial term is “loose” in the sentence without having a syntactic relationship with the other terms. For example: My neighbor, I heard he is in the hospital.
The expression "my neighbor" seems to be the subject of the sentence, but when we finish the sentence we can see that it does not have this established syntactic function.
In addition to being used in literary and musical language, the anacoluto is used in colloquial (informal) language. In everyday language it is employed by the spontaneity typical of these types of speeches.
To better understand this syntax figure, see some examples below:
Examples
Anacoluto in Oral Language
- Me, I think I'm feeling sick.
- Nora, I remember her whenever I get here.
- Life, I don't know what it will be like without him.
- Children, how difficult they are to deal with.
- Lucia, I hear you're traveling.
- Portugal, how many memories I have.
Anacoluto in Literature
- “I, who was white and beautiful, here I am hideous and dark.” (Manuel Bandeira)
- “Me, because I'm soft, you keep abusing.” (Ruben Braga)
- “The clock on the wall I'm used to it, but you need a clock more than I do”. (Ruben Braga)
- “Some carbines that they kept behind the wardrobe, we played with them, they were so useless.” (José Lins do Rego)
- “The old hypocrisy, I remember it with shame.” (Camilo Castelo Branco)
- “And the bastard trembled his legs, choking his cough.” (Almeida Garret)
Syntax figures
In addition to the anacoluto, other syntax (or construction) figures that interfere with the grammatical structure of sentences are:
- Ellipse
- Zeugma
- Hyperbate
- Silepsis
- Asyndeton
- polysyndeton
- anaphora
- Pleonasm
Learn more about the topic by reading:
- Figures of Language
- Syntax figures
- Word Pictures
- Thought Figures
- Sound Figures