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This page pertains to UD version 2.

parataxis: parataxis

The parataxis relation (from Greek for “place side by side”) is a relation between the main verb of a clause and other sentential elements, such as a sentential parenthetical, a clause after a “:” or a “;”, or two sentences placed side by side without any explicit coordination or subordination.

Let 's face it we 're annoyed
parataxis(Let, annoyed)

When multiple parataxes are present in a single sentence, they get a flat structure, not a hierarchical one, even if they form a temporal sequence.

ROOT I 'm not kidding , I once lost a hamster in my house , three months later I walk down in the basement and it was as big as a rat .
root(ROOT, kidding)
parataxis(lost, kidding)
parataxis(walk, kidding)

All else being equal, the leftmost phrase should be the head, but in rare situations the parataxis can go ``backwards’’:

The guy , John said , left early in the morning
parataxis(left, said)

See also: language-general documentation of parataxis


parataxis in other languages: [bej] [bg] [bm] [cop] [cs] [de] [el] [en] [es] [fi] [fr] [ga] [gsw] [hy] [it] [ja] [ka] [kk] [ky] [no] [pcm] [pt] [qpm] [ru] [sl] [sv] [tr] [u] [yue] [zh]