"Veni, vidi, vici" is the most common example of asyndeton.
The Greek word asýndeton , which can be translated as “detached” , derived from the late Latin asyndĕton . It arrived in our language as asyndeton , a term used in the field of rhetoric .
Fluidity and dynamism
The asyndeton involves omitting conjunctions in a speech with the aim of producing a certain nuance . In this way, energy can be brought to what is expressed, to mention one possibility.
By avoiding the links that should be included in an enumeration, the asyndeton resorts to a pause so as not to resent the meaning, but allowing the text to gain fluidity. The sensation generated by this literary figure is linked to the effervescent or the dynamic.
The best-known example of asyndeton is the expression “Veni, vidi, vici” , attributed to Julius Caesar . This phrase translates as “I came, I saw, I conquered” or “I arrived, I saw, I conquered.”
“Gold, lily, carnation, shining crystal” (Luis de Góngora), “Work, move, shake to eat!” (Gustavo Adolfo Becquer) y “The children, in white, play, scream, sweat, arrive” son otros ejemplos de asíndeton que pueden encontrarse en el ámbito de la literature.
Mottos and slogans
The asyndeton also appears in mottos or slogans . The so-called Three Rs Rule , to mention one case, consists of “reduce, reuse, recycle” , three actions that must be carried out to minimize the ecological footprint and the damage that human beings cause to the environment .
According to this rule , people must “reduce” consumption, “reuse” products and “recycle” waste to reduce the amount of waste generated and thus lower the level of pollution. With the intention of facilitating the memorization of these guidelines and causing an aesthetic effect, it is common to resort to the asyndeton and mention “reduce, reuse, recycle” , without the Y that would be logical to include ( “reduce, reuse and recycle” ). .
If this rule were composed using the conjunction AND , the effect would be more typical of an imposition, of an order given to us by someone with more power than us. Therefore, the impact it would have on the recipient would be different and could cause a certain rejection, either due to rebellion or lack of empathy with the cause. On the other hand, the fluidity provided by the total absence of conjunctions allows for the sensation of infinity , of constant movement, something that unconsciously leads us to want to "chase" the motto, to catch it and make it ours.
This can be observed in other areas of life. For example, prohibitions often generate the desire to rebel, while complete freedom often results in a waste of opportunities. We are an extremist species and difficult to encourage, so it is better to find a middle ground, that is not strict , to capture our attention and maintain it over time.
The Three Rs Rule: "reduce, reuse, recycle."
Not everything is said
The asyndeton has another nuance that makes it more accessible to the receiver: it does not seem to contain all the concepts, but rather leaves space to add more elements. This is not always the intention of the sender, especially if he uses this resource to tell an event that he himself experienced, but it can be true in cases like the motto in the previous example, where three key verbs are mentioned, but no one says no. We can add others also useful for the cause.
It is precisely this feeling of freedom, apparent or desired, that allows the motto to be more attractive to those who receive it. We don't like having ideas imposed on us, but if they are suggested to us our predisposition changes considerably. We could say that at the end of a sentence constructed with asyndeton there is the idea of "among other things", that those mentioned are "just some examples."