I'm interested in the use of an oral device which draws a box around
what the speaker is about to say, such as "at the end of the day",
which is nearly always used when the speaker wants to emphasise what
they're about to say. Is there a name for this oral device, and can
someone provide a concise definition of it which can be passed on to a
friend? |
Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 07:38 PDT
I believe the name you are searching for is called an "ablative
absolute" (Ablativus absolutus). Phrases such as "Having said that..."
and "To that end..." are used when a thought, condition or action is
grammatically separate but modifies the meaning of the rest of the
sentence. This is also sometimes called an "adverbial phrase".
The Ablative Absolute
http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/grammar/ablativeabsolute.htm
Does this answer your question?
tutuzdad-ga
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Clarification of Question by
els24uk-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 07:46 PDT
Well done! That's what I was after. Now, I need to write it down in a
card for a friend, so I'd like a concise definition in the way a
dictionary would present it, eg: "ablative absolute, adverb, xxxx
definition yyyy".
Thanks!
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Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 07:46 PDT
If it is of interest to you I should also point out perhaps that this
ablative absolute is a carry over from Latin sentence construction.
tutuzdad-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 07:54 PDT
Here you go:
"In Latin grammar, the ablative absolute (Ablativus absolutus) is a
noun phrase cast in the ablative case. It indicates the time,
condition, or attending circumstances of an action being described in
the main sentence.
It takes the place of, and translates, many phrases that would require
a subordinate clause in English. The unfamiliarity of this
construction makes it sometimes difficult for Latin students to grasp;
however, mastery of this construction is needed to write Latin well,
and its availability makes Latin prose quite concise. The closest
English equivalent is the nominative absolute"
ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablative_absolute
"A nominative absolute is a free-standing (absolute) part of a
sentence that describes or modifies the main subject and verb. It is
usually at the beginning or end of the sentence, although it can also
appear in the middle. Its parallel is the ablative absolute in Latin."
NOMINATIVE ABSOLUTE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_absolute
In a broad linquistic sense ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE is the answer you are
after. In more contemporary modern English this is called a NOMINATIVE
ABSOLUTE.
How's that?
tutuzdad-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
tutuzdad-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 07:55 PDT
"The ablative absolute is grammatically independent of the rest of the
sentence. It typically combines a noun or pronoun with an adjective,
which is often a participle. A common translation strategy for this
type of ablative absolute is "with the NOUN having been VERBed."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ablative_absolute
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Clarification of Question by
els24uk-ga
on
16 Aug 2005 08:07 PDT
Hardly a concise definition, but I got one off the ket.org page you
referenced, so thanks for trying. feel free to post your answer, and
it'll be worth every penny just for knowing it's called "ablative
absolute"
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