Hypotaxis

In a previous article, I covered the somewhat arcanely-named concept called parataxis - the literary technique where you craft your sentences, clauses, and their ilk in a way that allows each element to carry equal weight. We see this technique in straightforward and direct sentences. In fact, the almost imperative quality that parataxis brings makes this stylistic approach feel like the default approach to technical content.

Parataxis has a connected technique. A complementary color. The yin to its yang. The C-3P0 to its R2-D2. This is called hypotaxis. It creates an entirely different feel.

Although the term hypotaxis also possesses the same esoteric vibe as its technical counterpart, when you put the technique into practice, you will find that it is not a true opposite to parataxis. Rather than stand as a direct antagonist to paratactic writing, using hypotaxis approaches content from a different angle.

HYPOTAXIS DEFINED

Putting aside the admittedly-pretentious nomenclature that you can’t really escape when discussing parataxis and hypotaxis, let’s get the definition out of the way. While parataxis uses direct, equal constructions, hypotaxis builds connections between clauses and ideas using subordination.

I’ll confess to something: I tried to be a bit sneaky - cunning if you will - and write some of the introductory paragraphs in the styles they address. And while I may have loaded the first paragraph with my signature expository characterization, you’ll find a strictly paratactic statement in the second followed with a strictly hypotactic response in the third!

USING HYPOTAXIS

As above, writing using hypotaxis uses subordinate clauses to create connections. What does this mean? Consider the following example, something that you might easily find in API setup documentation:

• If you are using OAuth protocol to connect, the initial request will need to pass in your assigned access key to receive the subsequent request token.
• If you only need basic authorization access, include access credentials in the request header.

I would bet that one of the first things you may have noticed is the parallel structure each sentence uses with the initial If you… clauses. These immediately set up introductory dependent clauses but also imply the cause/effect relationship you can expect to discover by the end. The format is a familiar one, but one that has endless useful application:

• If A, then do this thing.
• If B, then do this different thing.

Simple subordination to create a direct link from the condition to the instruction!

Another application of hypotaxis creates a written path that guides readers to a final destination. Subordination relies on the relationship between dependent clauses - those that do not have a resolved predicate and cannot stand alone - and independent clauses - those that are complete ideas. The simplest example of a dependent clause is an introductory prepositional phrase. Take the following example from a disaster recovery plan template I created many years ago:

• Above all, the facility’s structural reinforcements prevent excess stress on the internal structure.

The dependent clause Above all creates a level of subordination; it requires the facility details to make sense. However, it also conveys essential information about those details. While we only see this sentence in isolation, the prepositional phrase above all lets us know that this fact carries the most weight in the description. Regardless of other details, we can safely conclude that this is the most important one.

Let’s look at a longer example. Pay attention to the way language guides you from point A to B to C.

• Located directly below input and output jacks, the OMNI knob allows quick and direct access to control any parameter, which you can customize in the SETUP menu.

This is the kind of sentence that I see all the time in user guides for electronics, or, in my peculiar case, guitar effects gadgets (the ones that make all the cool distorted, echoey, or spacey sounds that we all know and love in popular music). These types of sentences often help introduce users to an important feature by capturing the fundamental information you need to get a quick insight about what the feature actually does. Here, we get all the following information:

• The location of the OMNI knob in relation to other parts of the device (presumably ones you have already encountered).
• The function of the OMNI knob.
• How you can customize this function.

Whenever I find examples like this, they typically set up subsections that walk through the procedures or instructions that elaborate these functions. Perhaps more importantly, I get an immediate orientation to the structure of these subsections.

I want to stress that this is critical to using hypotaxis in a way that holistically strengthens your documentation!

The relationships that the sentence establishes also creates an expectation for the layout of the subsequent content. If the next subsections describe first what the OMNI knob controls (maybe the default parameter it affects) and second the procedure to customize the functionality, the sentence has done its job and has strengthened the instructional prose. However, if the next subsections veer away from these related details, the structure of the content breaks our expectations and introduces confusion.

CREATING BALANCE

It is easy for someone to look at jargon such as parataxis or hypotaxis and find an immediate repulsion toward their overtly academic character. Likewise, many grammar aficionados - including yours truly - relish the chance to understand the categorization, classification, and practice of all elements of the written word. I like to find a balance in my daily technical writing, and in this, I find the perfect application of either technique. Remember:

• If you lean too much toward parataxis, you might sound like a bad facsimile of Ernest Hemingway.
• If you lean too much toward hypotaxis, you might force your readers through a single, labyrinthine sentence to arrive at something that seems nebulous.

When you learn the strengths of each technique and how to deliberately apply them, however, you will find that they can enhance your content. After all, isn’t that why we study these topics? Once you’ve grasped the ups, downs, and all-arounds of a technique, you can begin to craft your content with greater intention and have the perfect (and perfectly-justified) strategy for each approach!