Stylistic classification of the english vocabulary

d) Chiasmus (Reversed Parallel Constructions)

Chiasmus belongs to the group of stylistic devices based on the repetition of a syntactical pattern, but it has a cross order of words and phrases. The structure of two successive sentences or parts of a sentence may be des­cribed as reversed parallel construction, the word order of one of the sentences being inverted as compared to that of the other, i.e. if the first sentence has a direct word order, the second sentence has an indirect word order. E.g.:

"They had accepted their failure. Their fate they couldn't accept." (Byron)

Chiasmus has been originated from the emphatic ex­pression of the spoken language. But in the written type of speech it is typified and generalized and thus becomes a stylistic device.

Chiasmus is sometimes achieved by a sudden change from active voice to passive or vice versa.

"The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it." (Dickens)

The sudden change in the structure helps to lay stress on the second part of the utterance. This sudden change requires a slight pause before the second part.

Chiasmus can appear when there are two successive sentences or coordinate parts of a sentence. The structural design of chiasmus may be different: it appears in a complex sentence, in a compound sentence or in two independent sentences.

We must distinguish between lexical and syntac­tical chiasmus. Here is the example of lexical chias­mus:

"Experience is the child of Thought and Thought is the child of action." (A. Pope).

There is no inversion here. Both parts have the same direct word order.

Syntactical chiasmus is used to break up parallel constructions which are monotonous. It brings emphasis on the second part, the inverted part of the utterance.

Close analysis shows that tne first part in chiasmus is not completed, the reader anticipates the continuation and this completion of the idea is given in the second part.

"There is a great deal of difference bet­ween the eager man who wants to read a book, and the tired man who wants a book to read." (G. Cherterton)

The stylistic function of chiasmus is to attract the rea­der's attention to the most important part of the utterance.