Explanation
Prosapodosis supplies a separate reason after each member of a previously divided statement. Alternatives, groups, or partial claims are first distinguished; each then receives its own ground. The figure makes argumentative structure transparent and prevents one general rationale from being silently extended to unlike cases. It may nevertheless create artificial symmetry when reasons are parallel only in form or relevant options are omitted. Analysis reconstructs the original division, assigns each reason to exactly one member, and tests completeness, comparability, and inferential force before accepting the articulated order as substantively sound.
Movement of thought
1. The initial statement is divided into its expressly distinguished members or alternatives. 2. Each subsequent reason is assigned precisely to the member it is meant to explain or justify. 3. Every claim-reason pair is independently tested for evidence and a valid inferential rule. 4. Unsupported members and unnamed alternatives expose gaps or strategically constructed divisions. 5. Comparison of the reasons reveals genuine differentiation or merely formal parallelism.
Scientific use case
Argumentation theory, legal and administrative language, education, and text linguistics analyse prosapodosis through division and reason assignment. Formal annotation can test coverage and whether parallel syntax conceals unequal evidence.
Example
A committee explains, “Proposal A is deferred because cost data are missing; B is rejected because it conflicts with the standard; C is accepted because both reviews are complete.”
Counterexample
A list followed by one common reason is not prosapodosis. Nor are examples appended after a division sufficient when they do not function as separate grounds for the respective members.
Distinction
Distinguish prosapodosis from distributio, merismus, aetiologia, and partitio generally. Prosapodosis requires separate after-the-fact reasons for previously divided members; distributio assigns roles, while aetiologia may justify only one statement.
Effect on thought and perception
Prosapodosis improves overview, accountability, and recall by visibly assigning reasons to partial judgements. It can also project complete rationality while omitting options or relevant counterarguments.
Resonance
A divided statement sends out several lines, each receiving its own justificatory return. The larger coherence arises from an ordered answer to every member.
Cite this entry
Reich, Michael (Hrsg./ed.): „Prosapodosis“. Atlas der Sprache, AT-HAR6-0014. ATLAS 260, data model 1.6.0. https://atlasoflanguage.com/concept/AT-HAR6-0014The address remains stable; editorial content may evolve. Editorial reading state: 2026-10-15. Include your access date for precise references.
Historical background
Quintilian reports prosapodosis as the assignment of reasons to distinct propositions. Reasons may follow each statement immediately or appear together after several statements, preserving their order. He questions whether such reasoning should count as a figure at all. This makes the historical entry particularly useful for the Atlas: explanatory organisation can be a method of thought rather than merely an ornament. An original test lists three decisions and then supplies one reason for each; the reader checks that each reason actually supports its assigned decision. Matching order cannot compensate for weak support. The witness also makes comparison with later detailing or repetition accounts necessary. The English learned label’s history should not be reconstructed from an assumed agreement among rhetoricians whose classifications demonstrably vary.
How conceptual history changes the analysis
Prosapodosis makes the assignment of reasons to distinct propositions inspectable, but orderly pairing cannot substitute for the reasons’ evidential force.
References for the historical section
- Quintilian, Institutio oratoria IX.3; H. E. Butler, English translation, Loeb Classical Library III (1920) · IX.3.93–96
Selected historical passage, not a complete genealogy or an English first attestation. Atlas examples and present-day countertests are editorial applications. Ancient argument inspected in English translation; Greek/Latin wording and manuscript transmission not independently collated. The online transcription contains apparent errors.