The first thing we have to do in order to determine the meaning of the term anacolut is to know its etymological origin. In this case we can say that it is a word that comes from Latin, specifically the word “anacoluthon” and this, in turn, derives from the Greek “anakóluthos”, which is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts:
-The prefix “an-“, which is proprietary.
-The term “koluthos”, which can be translated as “next”.
The term anacolut refers to the lack of consequence in the elaboration of an expression. It is a solecism: a flaw in the syntax that implies a violation of the norms of the language.
The anacoluto supposes a modification of the structure of the discourse in full development, causing a lack of consistency. It usually appears in colloquial language, unconsciously.
It is important to establish that there are two fundamental types of anacolutos:
-The so-called anapódoton, which consists of the repetition of a part of the sentence. Example would be to say: “If the teacher changes the exam, he changes it and then the students will have to adjust.”
-The one known as anantapódoton, which is the suppression of a part of the sentence in question. Example would be the following: “The past there were many important conflicts”, when the correct thing would be to say “In the past there were many important conflicts”.
When a pronoun is used to introduce a relative clause and that pronoun does not have a defined syntactic function, an anacoluto is produced. For example: “They have launched a drink that the one who drinks it grows several centimeters. ”
An anacoluto is also generated when the speaker pronounces a nominal phrase that seemed to be oriented towards assuming the role of subject of the expression, but that ultimately does not fulfill this function: “My sister, her in-laws have fields in La Pampa. ” The correct construction of this phrase could be “My sister’s in-laws have fields in La Pampa”.
Anacoluts can be found in poorly constructed expressions such as “I sell silk men’s shirts, ” “The company is dedicated to making sunglasses for women in the sun,” or “Postmodernism is when the authors are skeptical. ”
If certain terms are missing or exceeded, on the other hand, an anacoluto can be caused. The phrase “In developed cities they have good transportation infrastructure” carries an anacoluto: it should be expressed as “Developed cities have good transportation infrastructure” or “In developed cities, inhabitants have good transportation infrastructure at their disposal. ”
It should be noted that anacolutum can be a rhetorical resource used by a writer to cause an aesthetic effect.
Many other examples of anacolutos are the following:
-My house is far from yours.
-We spend the whole day from site to site.
-You can go to play in the park on the condition that you do your homework and study.
-The movie afternoon goes to my parents’ account.
-I have to get to work soon.
-The human resources company receives five people an hour.
-It just so happens that your neighbor is my co-worker.
