2528: Parataxis Nov 14, 2021

Parataxis describes the syntax for the phenomenon of placing two (seemingly) unrelated ideas next to each other with minimal to no conjunction and leaving the listener to interpret any connection. In writing this is often employed for poetic uses, but certainly in speech this is more common as a result of one's train of thought. Otherwise, this is just to abbreviate the language such that two utterances might be assumed to be connected when the full understanding of the relationship is not considered so important. Even in speech though this effect can be used less randomly and instead bring more focus to an utterance which might be otherwise subordinated with a conjunction rather than standing on its own.

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Morphology, Syntax Emmett Stone Morphology, Syntax Emmett Stone

1228: English Right-Hand Rule Apr 20, 2018

There is a reason why negative affixes are going to be prefixes in English is the same reason why derivational affixes such as '-al', '-ness' and '-ate' will be suffixes. English has what is called the "English right-hand rule" which states that usually, the right-most element is the head of the word, and will determine the syntax and or meaning. This is true of most adjectives, compounds where the first element acts almost like an adjective, and affixes. With the latter, negating prefixes such as 'in-', 'un-' and 'non-' all can be attached to adjectives (among other things) and the word will still remain an adjective (or whatever else) whereas the aforementioned suffixes will all make a word of one part of speech become a word of another lexical class. This is the case with most affixes in other Germanic languages as well, though there are a few notable exceptions within each, and is one of many significant reasons why English will not be considered a Romance language despite strong influences from vocabulary.
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