Isocolon

Isocolon is a rhetorical scheme in which parallel elements, such as words, phrases, or sentences, possess approximately the same number of words or syllables.^: 93–94 As in any form of parallelism, the pairs or series must enumerate like things to achieve symmetry. The scheme is called bicolon, tricolon, or tetracolon depending on whether they are two, three, or four parallel elements.

Etymology

The term, a compound of ἴσος ísos 'equal' and κῶλον kôlon 'member, clause' was used in the classical Greek rhetorical literature:

...εἶδος δὲ τοῦ παρομοίου τὸ ἰσόκωλον, ἐπὰν ἴσας ἔχῃ τὰ κῶλα τὰς συλλαβάς...
Under the heading of symmetry of members comes equality of members, which occurs when the members contain an equal number of syllables...

The Greek plural is 'isocola', but 'isocolons' is also used in English.

Rhetorical use

Isocola are typically categorized by the number of units they have; it may be referred to as a bicolon, tricolon, and tetracolon which have two, three, and four elements respectively. Additionally, a tetracolon may be referred to as a quatrain.

While an isocolon may have the exact same number of syllables, the length of the sounds of the clauses generally need to only approximately balance each other. An example providing in Rhetorica Ad Herennium follows:

The father was meeting death in battle; the son was planning marriage at his home. These omens wrote grievous disasters

Notice the parallelism found in each clause as well as the last clauses having different number of syllables.

Isocola are often used to add balance, symmetry, and flow to a text. Often, advertisers and politicians will use an isocolon (especially a bicolon) for its memorability and persuasiveness in slogans and speeches. Additionally, they can be used to add emphasis.

The trinity found in tricola are often found to be especially effective rhetorically, said to give an effect of wholeness or completeness. In contrast, having only two elements may have the effect of creating a contrast or comparison; for example, in the bicolon "mice and men" may imply a comparison of small and big, whether intentional or not.^: 98–99 Puttenham suggests that the number of elements of a isocolon should not exceed four.

Mark Forsyth suggests that tricola are the most effective when the final element is the longest in length. For instance, in Mark Antony's "Friends, romans, countrymen" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, each element increases in number syllables. It is important to note that, by Forsyth's definition, tricola are not constricted by number of words or syllable lengths, so other sets of three clauses (such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness") would also apply to this rule.^: 100

An isocolon may be used humorously where the punchline hinges on the final element diverging from the pattern. For example, take the following quote by Dorothy Parker: "I require three things in a man: he must be handsome, ruthless and stupid."

Special types of isocola

A tricolon that comprises parts in increasing size, magnitude or intensity is called a tricolon crescens, or an ascending tricolon. An example of a tricolon crescens is found in Edgar Allan Poe's King Pest: "Out burst a deluge of liquor so fierce – so impetuous – so overwhelming – that the room was flooded from wall to wall." Inversely, a tricolon diminuens is a tricolon crescens that descends instead of ascending.

Repeating the same thing multiple times is a special case of an isocolon, as a way of saying that only one thing is important, and it is very important. In about 1500, when Louis XII asked Giangiacopo Trivulzio what was necessary to win the war against Ludovico Sforza, Trivulzio answered: "Three things, Sire, Money, money, money!" In the 20th century, the cliché "Location, location, location" was said to enumerate the three most important attributes of real property. This phrase appears in print in Chicago as early as 1926, but is frequently and incorrectly credited to the British real estate magnate Harold Samuel. British Prime Minister Tony Blair set out his priorities for office in 1997 with "Education, education, education".

A special type of collocation known as an irreversible binomial is a bicolon that is both short and so well known that it becomes a fixed expression. Not all irreversible binomials are bicola or tricola, however. Irreversible binomials generally consist of only a few words at most. Examples of irreversible binomials include "macaroni and cheese" or "tic-tac-toe" (note that it would be abnormal to say "cheese and macaroni" or "toe-tac-tic").^{[citation needed]}

Examples

See also

• Hendiatris
• Figure of speech
• Rule of three (writing)
• Triad (disambiguation)
• Epizeuxis

References