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paratactic construction

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A syntactic construction that relies on short, side-by-side units without subordination

Detailed Definition
Paratactic construction is a syntactic style in poetry that places clauses or phrases side by side without subordinating conjunctions (e.g., "I came, I saw, I conquered"), relying on juxtaposition rather than explicit logical connection; this technique creates immediacy, ambiguity, or stark realism, common in imagist, haiku-inspired, or documentary verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
A style that favors the coordination of clauses using conjunctions (like "and") or simply commas, rather than complex subordination; Using a sequence of simple, short sentences or independent clauses joined together with little or no transition; A series of lines that simply list observations or facts without establishing a clear hierarchy or causal link; A construction like "The sky was blue, and the grass was green, and the sun was bright."
Additional Notes
paratactic construction: A poetic style where clauses or phrases are placed side-by-side (juxtaposed) using simple conjunctions (like 'and') or no conjunctions at all; conveys a sense of immediacy and equality between ideas.
Also Known As
coordinate clause style side-by-side syntax additive construction Asyndeton
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