Juxtaposition

For other uses, seeJuxtaposition (disambiguation).

"Juxtapose" redirects here. For other uses, seeJuxtapose (disambiguation).

Juxtaposition ofthree sistersand theThree Sistersrock formation in Australia

Juxtapositionis an act or instance of placing two opposing elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order tocompare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.

Speech

Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showing contrast by concepts placed side by side. An example of juxtaposition are the quotes "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country", and "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate", both byJohn F. Kennedy,who particularly liked juxtaposition as a rhetorical device.Jean Piagetspecifically contrasts juxtaposition in various fields fromsyncretism,arguing that "juxtaposition and syncretism are in antithesis, syncretism being the predominance of the whole over the details, juxtaposition that of the details over the whole".Piaget writes:

In visual perception, juxtaposition is the absence of relations between details;syncretismis a vision of the whole which creates a vague but all-inclusive schema, supplanting the details. Inverbal intelligencejuxtaposition is the absence of relations between the various terms of a sentence; syncretism is the all-round understanding which makes the sentence into a whole. In logic juxtaposition leads to an absence of implication and reciprocal justification between the successive judgments; syncretism creates a tendency to bind everything together and to justify by means of the most ingenious or the most facetious devices.

Ingrammar,juxtaposition refers to the absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together. Thus, whereEnglishuses theconjunctionand(e.g.mother and father), many languages use simple juxtaposition ( "mother father" ). Inlogic,juxtaposition is alogical fallacyon the part of the observer, where two items placed next to each other imply a correlation, when none is actually claimed. For example, an illustration of a politician andAdolf Hitleron the same page would imply that the politician had a common ideology with Hitler. Similarly, saying "Hitler was in favor of gun control, and so are you" would have the same effect. This particular rhetorical device is common enough to have its own name,Reductio ad Hitlerum.

Mathematics

Inalgebra,multiplication involvingvariablesis often written as ajuxtaposition(e.g.,$xy$for$x$times$y$or$5x$for five times$x$), also calledimplied multiplication.The notation can also be used for quantities that are surrounded byparentheses(e.g.,$5(2)$or$(5)(2)$for five times two). This implicit usage of multiplication can cause ambiguity when the concatenated variables happen to match the name of another variable, when a variable name in front of a parenthesis can be confused with afunctionname, or in the correct determination of theorder of operations.

Inmathematics,juxtaposition of symbols is the adjacency of factors with the absence of an explicitoperatorin an expression, especially for commonly used for multiplication:$ax$denotes the product of$a$with$x$,or$a$times$x$.It is also used forscalar multiplication,matrix multiplication,function composition,andlogicaland.Innumeral systems,juxtaposition of digits has a specific meaning. Ingeometry,juxtaposition of names of points representslinesorline segments.Inlambda calculus,juxtaposition$fx$denotes function application. Inphysics,juxtaposition is also used for "multiplication" of a numerical value and aphysical quantity,and of two physical quantities, for example, three times$\pi$would be written as$3\pi$and "areaequals length times width "as$A=\ell w$.

Arts

A modern-style house contrasts with the older structures in the background inLincoln, Lincolnshire, Englandin 2018

Throughout the arts, juxtaposition of elements is used to elicit a response within the audience's mind, such as creating meaning from the contrast. Inmusic,it is an abrupt change of elements, and is a procedure ofmusical contrast.Infilm,the position of shots next to one another (montage) is intended to have this effect. Inpaintingandphotography,the juxtaposition of colours, shapes, etc, is used to create contrast, while the position of particular kinds of objects one upon the other or different kinds of characters in proximity to one another is intended to evoke meaning.Various forms of juxtaposition occur inliterature,where two images that are otherwise not commonly brought together appear side by side or structurally close together, thereby forcing the reader to stop and reconsider the meaning of the text through the contrasting images, ideas, motifs, etc. For example, "He was slouched gracefully" is a juxtaposition. More broadly, an author can juxtapose contrasting types of characters, such as a hero and a rogue working together to achieve a common objective from very different motivations.

See also

• Juxtaposed controls
• Literary foil

External links

The dictionary definition ofjuxtapositionat Wiktionary