Hyperbato or inversion is a figure of syntax that is part of figures of speech. It is characterized by the sharp reversal of direct order of the terms of a sentence or period.
In the usual construction of language, the natural order of clause terms is positioned like this: subject + predicate + complement.
Thus, hyperbato interferes with the grammatical structure, reversing the natural order of the terms in the sentence. For example: Happy he was. In direct order the sentence would read: He was happy.
Note that the use of hyperbate can often compromise understanding, or even generate ambiguity.
In addition to hyperbato, the syntax (or construction) figures are: a Ellipse, a zeugma, a silepsis, a anaphora, O anacolutton, O pleonasm, O asyndeton it's the polysyndeton.
Anastrophe and Synchisis
Other syntax figures that invert the terms of the sentence are: the anastrophe and the synchisis.
The anastrophe is a gentle inversion of phrasal terms. Synchisis, on the other hand, is a more accentuated inversion and can impair the understanding of the period.
For this reason, anastrophes and synchisis are considered by many scholars as hyperbatic types.
Hyperbate and Anacoluto
Hyperbato is often confused with the anacolutton, however they are different. Anacoluto presents a grammatical irregularity in the grammatical structure of the period, suddenly changing the structure of the sentence.
Example: He seems to be feeling sick.
Thus, we have the impression that the pronoun “he” does not exercise its syntactic function correctly considering the pause of the period. And in fact, it has no syntactical relationship to the other terms in the sentence.
The anacolutton alters, therefore, the logical sequence of the syntactic plane of the terms of the sentence, which does not occur in hyperbato.
Hyperbato, on the other hand, is not marked by a pause, but by the syntactic inversion of the terms of the sentence.
Examples of Hyperbate
Both in literature and in music, hyperbato is often used to aid in the rhyme and sound of verses.
But remember that we also use this figure of speech in everyday life, for example:
- The food is ready. (in direct order: the food is ready)
- My neighbor died (in direct order: my neighbor died)
Hyperbate in Music
The Brazilian national anthem is a notorious example where hyperbato was used many times. Review the excerpts below:
- “The placid shores of a heroic people heard the resounding cry from Ipiranga”
- “And the sun of Liberty, in brilliant rays, / Shined in the sky of the Fatherland at that moment.”
Direct order of the first excerpt: The placid banks of the Ipiranga heard the resounding cry of a heroic people.
Direct order of the second excerpt: The sun of Liberty shone in brilliant rays in the sky of the Fatherland at that moment.
Hyperbate in Literature
Hyperbato is used for stylistic purposes to give greater emphasis or expressiveness to literary language.
“I arrived. You've arrived. I came weary / And sad, and sad and weary I came. / You had a dream soul populated, / And dream soul populated I had..." (Olavo Bilac)
In direct order, Olavo Bilac's poem would read: And I came sad, and sad and tired / Your soul was filled with dreams / And I had a soul filled with dreams.
“That sad and late dawn, /full of sorrow and pity, /while the world misses it, /I want it to be always celebrated.” (Luís de Camões)
In direct order the first verse of Camões' sonnet would be: that sad and sad dawn.
Continue your research on the topic by reading the articles:
- Figures of Language
- Syntax figures
- Word Pictures
- Thought Figures
- Sound Figures