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anastrophe

/əˈnæstrəfi/
IPA guide

When the words in a sentence or phrase are deliberately mixed up, it's called anastrophe. Using anastrophe can sometimes make speech sound more formal.

One of the most well-known users of anastrophe is the Star Wars character Yoda, whose mixed-up word order makes him sound wise and vaguely like a non-native English speaker: "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is." It was common to use anastrophe as a literary device in ancient Greek and Latin poetry, and the word itself is Greek, meaning "a turning back" or "a turning upside-down."

Definitions of anastrophe
  1. noun
    the reversal of the normal order of words
    synonyms: inversion
    see moresee less
    type of:
    rhetorical device
    a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)
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