Supply inversion

Inversion in a sentence (from Latin inversio - inverting, rearrangement), “reverse word order” - changing the meaning of a word by placing it in a syntactically unusual place for the sentence. It is possible to invert both individual words and entire groups (for example, the subject, predicate, and any others). Inversion is a violation of the word order that matters (that is, it is a sign: grammatical, emotional, stylistic, rhetorical, etc.).

In each language, there is a usual word order in a sentence (and phrase), which determines the place in them for each word. This position is neutral (does not give the word additional meanings). In the case of inversion, the word is placed in the sentence (or phrase), not in the usual position, but in another, alternative, different from the usual, “inversion position”. An alternative place (inversion position) is not arbitrary for each construction (even in languages with a free word order), but rather definite. Placing a word in an inversion position - gives the word an additional meaning (emphasis, grammatical, emotional, stylistic, rhetorical, etc.) Thus, for a word in a sentence there are usually two positions: normal, neutral and “inversion position”, highlighted. And for each design (sentences, phrases, etc.) - there is its inverted version (and its own - for the inversion of each element).

Most often, inversion - looks like a permutation of two words (or groups) - cf. definition of inversion on the English Wikipedia . Usually this is a permutation of neighboring words (groups). Hence the name ( Latin inversio - inversion, rearrangement). The Russian translation “reverse word order” is not very successful, since it promises a mirror image of the whole sentence, which never happens, but inversion actually exists for individual pairs of words.

Sometimes the concept of inversion is defined extremely broadly: like any violation of the usual word order in a sentence. For example, in Russian literary criticism [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] .

Inversion is possible (it will be perceived precisely as inversion - an anomaly, disorder, which can be used as a new, full-fledged sign) only for such a pair of words for which there is some established syntactic order (obligatory, ordinary, or preferred).

Content

Elementary Grammar Inversions

Inversion Types:

rearrangement of the main members of the sentence: the subject is in second place, the predicate is in the first.

  Drops his scarlet forest 
 The frost will fade away the wilted field, 
 The day will come, as if involuntarily, 
 And hide behind the edge of the surrounding mountains.
        (A.S. Pushkin. “October 19”)

statement of definition after the word being defined (for Russian, the normal order is vice versa):

  In the doorway of Eden a gentle angel 
 He shone with a head drooping 
 A demon is gloomy and rebellious
 Over the hellish abyss flew.
        (A. S. Pushkin. "Angel")

statement of additions before the verb (or other "supplemented" word)

  From the tomb then the emperor, 
 Waking up, is suddenly ... 
        (M.Yu. Lermontov. “Air Ship”)

placement of circumstances expressed by nouns before the word that they explain, and not after them, as required by the usual word order:

  The labors of the night exhausted 
 I lay down in the shade ...
        (M.Yu. Lermontov. "Mtsyri")

Complication of Inversions

Elementary inversions can be complicated in different ways

Word Group Inversion

Firstly, inversion can affect both one word and the whole grammar group.

In the case of a group of words, inversion can change the position:

the whole group as a whole.
only one word from the group, often a formal, auxiliary, most grammatical element (for example, when questions are asked in English)
parts of the group

The choice of one of the three mechanisms of group inversion is carried out in the process of the history of each language and is fixed in its norm and rules. Moreover, in different grammatical constructions the choice may be different. The interaction of different structures within the same language and between languages leads to the emergence of a unique system of inversions in each of them. And within its framework - a unique subsystem of group inversions.

Multiple inversions in one sentence

Inversion is a single, “compact” anomaly in the structure of a sentence.

Sometimes in one sentence there are two, or even more inversions at once. There are cases when the inversions are located nearby (contact), or even include one another as nested dolls.

Naturally, the presence of several inversions at the same time weakens the stylistic, excretory and emphatic (exclamatory) significance of each of them. Therefore, multiple inversion is much less common than single.

Nevertheless, each inversion in such a sentence can remain a quite tangible, elementary unit (a separate sign), not merging with other inversions and not eroding into an amorphous structure, and not destroying the proposal as a whole.

Of course, it is obvious that if too many inversions are made in the sentence, it will be difficult to separate individual inversions (anomalies) from others, and therefore - to perceive them as separate signs. But in practice, 3-4 inversions are distinguishable, and more are not found.

Complex Inversion

Inversion into sentences is not just a mechanical rearrangement of words, inversion is a rearrangement within a system of grammatical relationships. Therefore, a rearranged word (group) can pull a chain of dependent words and groups. Or vice versa, it will not be able to take a new place received in exchange, because it would sever the connection of the third words. In this case, inversion is usually still possible, but the word begins to move further from the original place and can be quite far away.

Similarly, inversions can disrupt semantic connections and their restoration will also require further restructuring of the proposal.

Each such movement of words (groups) can, in turn, disrupt some other connections (grammatical or semantic), and their restoration - require new rearrangements in the sentence. Thus, a cascade of changes, a wave, a chain reaction can occur, which will lead to a complete restructuring of the proposal. In some cases, alternatives to the new structure are possible. In others, irreparable contradictions (conflicts of requirements of different designs) are possible, and the proposal may require simplification.

Using Inversions

Used in language for

the formation of certain types of sentences (for example, negative and some interrogative in English);
emphatic highlighting of words (or the whole sentence in which there is an inversion). In analytical languages (for example, English , French ), where the word order is fixed strictly, stylistic inversion is relatively rare; in inflectional, including Russian, with a fairly loose word order - very significantly.

Syntactic inversion gets extra features in

rhetoric - in order to emphasize the main thing, to break the monotony and generally enhance the impact of speech (words).
literature - as one of the means of stylistic characterization of characters (for example, Yoda’s speech in “ Star Wars ”), creating a style or entourage of a work;
poetry - not only as a stylistic device, but also as a means of fitting to the poetic size, and after that - as a feature, a characteristic feature of poetic speech, emphasizing its difference (special poetic style);

Poets with varying degrees of intensity use inversion as a stylistic device. In different poetic sizes, inversion is distributed approximately equally.

Care should be taken when making judgments about the predominance of inversion in poetic speech compared to prosaic: for example, sentences with inversion of the main terms in poetry, in fiction and scientific prose equally make up 10-30% of the total number with an average value of approx. 20 %. But all types of written speech on this basis are opposed to oral, where sentences with inversion of the main members make up only 7%.

Literature

Bulakhovsky L. A. Russian literary language of the first half of the XIX century. - M., 1954;
Inversion // Dictionary of literary terms / site "Russian writers and poets"
Inversion // Literary Encyclopedia
Matesius V. The main function of word order in the Czech language. In: Prague Linguistic Circle. - M., 1967;
Ch. Inversion // Pospelov G.N., Nikolaev P.A., Volkov I.F .. Introduction to literary criticism, 1988
Sirotinina O.B. Word order in Russian. - Saratov, 1965;
Kovtunova I.I. Modern Russian language. Word order and current division of a sentence. - M., 1976.

Links

Zundelovich J. Inversion // Literary Encyclopedia: Dictionary of Literary Terms: In 2 volumes - M .; L .: Publishing house of L. D. Frenkel, 1925. - T. 1, stlb. 297-298.