Clarification on Terminology

Maurice A. O'Sullivan mauros at iol.ie
Sun Oct 29 20:00:10 EST 2000


At 22:47 29/10/00, Mark Armstrong wrote:

>I would be grateful if someone could clarify the following terms for me.

No, it's not a device, it's a mistake

>  Is there a formal definition for "solecism"?

 From the Shorter Oxford English dictionary:
Solecism
  [Fr. solécisme or L soloecismus f. Gk soloikismos, f. soloikos speaking 
incorrectly, said by ancient writers to refer to the corrupted Attic 
dialect spoken by Athenian colonists at Soloi in Cilicia: ]

1 A violation of rules or conventions; a mistake, a blunder; an 
incongruity, an inconsistency; esp. (a) a mistake of grammar or idiom, a 
blunder in speaking or writing; (b) a breach of good manners, a piece of 
incorrect behaviour. M16. 2 Violation of rules or conventions, error; esp. 
incorrect or ungrammatical speech or writing.


>2. Elliptical construction. This term has arisen from my examination of
>Mark 2:10, "IVA DE EIDHTE.........". The adverbial clause is described by
>Morna Hooker as an elliptical construction - apparently because it has no
>direct linkage with a main verb or participle in the pericope, or maybe its
>antecedent is back in verse 5. In any case, verse 10 gives the choice
>between two alternatives.

Again from the SOED:

Elliptical
Gram.
Characterized by ellipsis; spec. (of sentences etc.) defective, lacking a 
word or words needed to complete the sense.



Maurice A. O'Sullivan  [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros at iol.ie






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