antiptosis

Figure Name antiptosis
Source Silva Rhetoricae (http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/Silva.htm); Sherry (1550) 31 ("antiptosis," "casus pro casu"); Peacham (1577) H3r ; JG Smith (1665) ("antiptosis"); Macbeth (1876); Holmes (1806) ("antiptosis"); Bullinger (1898) ("antiptosis; or, exchange of cases")
Earliest Source None
Synonyms casus pro casu, exchange of cases
Etymology from Gk. anti, "in exchange" and ptosis, "falling, case"
Type Scheme
Linguistic Domain Syntactic
Definition

1. A type of enallage in which one grammatical case is substituted for another. (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. Antiptosis, the putting of one case for another.; Antiptosis, casus pro casu positio, the putting of one case for another derived from [anti] pro, for, and casus, a case. It is a position of one case for another. A figure of construction, and is when one case is put for another, and sometimes with a very good grace. (JG Smith)

Note: In English, this is apparent only with pronouns, unlike in inflected languages (Greek, Latin, German, etc.)

3. This use of one case for another struts about in the literary realm by no less a name than, Antiptosis. (Macbeth)

4. By Antiptosis you may freely place One (if as proper) for another case. (Holmes)

5. Exchange of one case for another... The figure is so called, because one case is put instead of another case. Especially when the absolute is put for the construct: i.e., where the governing noun is changed for the noun "in regimen." (Bullinger, 513)

Example

1. "Me Jane, Tarzan."
"Me" is used (the objective case pronoun) instead of the proper subjective case pronoun, "I". This example also includes ellipsis of the verb "am". (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar, &c. (Rev. 3.12. qtd in JG Smith)

3. "Meester, meester! has Betty any right to lather I?"
- Sydney Smith (Macbeth)

4. Peculiar to the Latins; as urbem quam statuo vestera eft. (Holmes)

5. Luke 5:9. -"At the haul of the fish": i.e., the fish of the capture; or, the captured fishes. (Bullinger, 513)

Kind Of Opposition
Part Of enallage
Related Figures enallage, figures of substitution, figures of grammar, figures of syntax, anthimeria,
Notes
Confidence Unconfident
Last Editor Ioanna Malton
Confidence Unconfident
Editorial Notes Where does the note in the definition come from? -ark
Reviewed No