Alleotheta

Techniques > Use of language > Figures of speech > Alleotheta

Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Alleotheta involves substitution of one case, gender, mood, number, tense, or person for another.

Example

When he wore a dress she looks delightfully female.

I could be dancing yesterday, under the hot, dark moon,
Living her down, strutting to their tune.

Every dog has their day.

Discussion

Substitution can cause confusion and hence draw attention and challenge meaning. This is a sliding scale, where sometimes the substitution is obvious and sometimes it is very subtle.

In poetry, the confusion effect may be used deliberately in almost nonsense verse, yet an underlying meaning is still there to be discovered in what may be seen as a game between the author and the reader.

Alleotheta is sometimes used as a general category, including antiptosis and other ennallage. It is also known as allotheta, alloeosis or alloiosis.

Classification: Substitution, Meaning