Hendiadys
Encyclopedia
Hendiadys is a figure of speech
used for emphasis — "The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination". The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction to express a single complex idea.
English names for hendiadys include two for one and figure of twinnes.
-plus-adjective
into two nouns joined by a conjunction
. For example, "sound and fury" (from act V, scene 5 of Macbeth
) seems to offer a more striking image than "furious sound". In this example, as typically, the subordinate idea originally present in the adjective is transformed into a noun in and of itself. Another example is Dieu et mon droit
, present in the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. In fact, hendiadys is most effective in English when the adjective and noun form of the word are identical. Thus "the cold wind went down the hall" becomes "the cold and the wind went down the hall."
When hendiadys fails in its effects, it can sound merely redundant. For example, cum amicitia atque pace, “with friendship and peace” is often translated instead as “with peaceful friendship.” Fowler says that try and ... for try to ... is a "true example" of hendiadys.
.
Hendiadys in the Bible is attested by many references, although not every case of two nouns linked by a conjunction is hendiadys. For example, Mark 2, 25 has "in need and hungry" which Richard Young considers hendiadys for "very hungry" but Wayne Leman suggests is instead an example of "semantic intensification due to Hebraic synonymous parallelism." "The kingdom, the power and the glory" (from the Lord's Prayer
) extends the principle, transforming the idea of a "glorious, powerful kingdom" into a sequence of three nouns joined by a conjunction.
In Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" it occurs at 4.1.36:
SHYLOCK: ...to have the due and forfeit of my bond.
Figure of speech
A figure of speech is the use of a word or words diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a phrase with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in idiom, metaphor, simile,...
used for emphasis — "The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination". The basic idea is to use two words linked by a conjunction to express a single complex idea.
English names for hendiadys include two for one and figure of twinnes.
Use and effect
The typical result of a hendiadys is to transform a nounNoun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
-plus-adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
into two nouns joined by a conjunction
Grammatical conjunction
In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects two words, sentences, phrases or clauses together. A discourse connective is a conjunction joining sentences. This definition may overlap with that of other parts of speech, so what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each...
. For example, "sound and fury" (from act V, scene 5 of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
) seems to offer a more striking image than "furious sound". In this example, as typically, the subordinate idea originally present in the adjective is transformed into a noun in and of itself. Another example is Dieu et mon droit
Dieu et mon droit
Dieu et mon droit is the motto of the British Monarch in England. It appears on a scroll beneath the shield of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom...
, present in the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. In fact, hendiadys is most effective in English when the adjective and noun form of the word are identical. Thus "the cold wind went down the hall" becomes "the cold and the wind went down the hall."
When hendiadys fails in its effects, it can sound merely redundant. For example, cum amicitia atque pace, “with friendship and peace” is often translated instead as “with peaceful friendship.” Fowler says that try and ... for try to ... is a "true example" of hendiadys.
In classical and biblical literature
Hendiadys is often used in Latin poetry; many examples occur in Virgil's AeneidAeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
.
Hendiadys in the Bible is attested by many references, although not every case of two nouns linked by a conjunction is hendiadys. For example, Mark 2, 25 has "in need and hungry" which Richard Young considers hendiadys for "very hungry" but Wayne Leman suggests is instead an example of "semantic intensification due to Hebraic synonymous parallelism." "The kingdom, the power and the glory" (from the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
) extends the principle, transforming the idea of a "glorious, powerful kingdom" into a sequence of three nouns joined by a conjunction.
In Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" it occurs at 4.1.36:
SHYLOCK: ...to have the due and forfeit of my bond.
See also
- HendiatrisHendiatrisHendiatris is a figure of speech used for emphasis, in which three words are used to express one idea...
, one through three - Hendiatetris (also hendiatetrakis), one through four
- LitotesLitotesIn rhetoric, litotes is a figure of speech in which understatement is employed for rhetorical effect when an idea is expressed by a denial of its opposite, principally via double negatives....
, a form of understatement for emphasis