ATLAS OF LANGUAGE

Contextual explanation · NAV-G04-002

Correlative pairing

This explanation addresses the term in its originating context. It is not an additional canonical Atlas profile.

Explanation

Correlative pairing here means a linguistic relation in which an initial expression projects a completing counterpart. In the correlative-omission sense of anantapodoton used here, either may project an or-continuation; rhetorical handbooks also use anantapodoton for other unfinished constructions. The expectation can arise from a grammatical pattern or a rhetorically constructed contrast. It is not a statistical relationship between measurements. Whether a counterpart is genuinely missing must also be checked against the whole passage: delayed completion or a change of construction may alter the initial assessment. This entry therefore explains a restricted syntactic and rhetorical sense of German Korrelation.

Movement of thought

1. Identify a projecting expression. 2. Specify its expected paired construction. 3. Read the actual continuation. 4. Distinguish missing from delayed completion. 5. Describe the effect of leaving the pattern open.

Example

“On the one hand, we need quiet …” projects a two-sided assessment. If the text moves to a different topic, the expected other side remains unexpressed.

Counter-test

Frequent joint occurrence of two words does not establish this kind of projected pairing.

Scientific use case

Rhetorical analysis can compare completed and abandoned paired constructions within one register.

Effect

The initial member creates an expectation against which subsequent discourse is assessed.

Resonance

A beginning can make room for something that never arrives.

Distinction

Distinguish correlative pairing from statistical correlation, co-occurrence and repetition generally.

Sources