Juxtaposition

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Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two things close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc.

In logic, juxtaposition is a logical fallacy on 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 and Adolf Hitler on 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. (see Reductio ad Hitlerum)

In music, it is an abrupt change of elements.

In film, the position of shots next to one another (montage) is intended to create meaning within the audience's mind.

In literature, a juxtaposition occurs when 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 alertly" is a juxtaposition.

Modern poetry plays extensively with juxtaposing images, inserting unrelated fragments together in order to create wonder and interest in readers.

In mathematics, juxtaposition of symbols is commonly used for multiplication: ax denotes the product of a with x, or a times x. It is also used for scalar multiplication, matrix multiplication, and function composition. In numeral systems, juxtaposition of digits has a specific meaning. In geometry, juxtaposition of names of points represents lines or line segments.

In physics, juxtaposition is also used for "multiplication" of a numerical value and a physical unit, and of two physical units, for example, three Newton-meters, would be written as 3Nm.

In grammar, juxtaposition refers to the absence of linking elements in a group of words that are listed together. Thus, where English uses the conjunction and (e.g. mother and father), many languages use simple juxtaposition ("mother father").

Juxtaposition

See also