Teenstelling

Teenstelling is a term primarily used in Afrikaans to denote contrast or juxtaposition, referring to the relationship between two or more elements when differences are highlighted. In this usage, it describes the deliberate placement or presentation of opposing ideas, images, or notions to emphasize their distinctions. The concept also appears in related forms of Dutch-language criticism, where the more common term is tegenstelling.

Etymology and sense: The word combines teen meaning against and stelling meaning stance or position, conveying the sense of placing elements opposite each other. This makes teenstelling a device for drawing attention to differences by placing contrasts in close proximity, whether in text, art, film, or other media.

Applications: In literature and linguistics, teenstelling is used to analyze how characters, themes, or motifs are set against one another to shape meaning. In rhetoric, it functions as a device that clarifies arguments by presenting opposing positions side by side. In visual arts and cinema, it can describe deliberate contrasts in light and shadow, color, setting, or mood to enhance interpretation or emotional effect. In academic writing, it supports structured analysis through explicit contrasts between theories, perspectives, or empirical findings.

Relation to other terms: The Dutch counterpart is tegenoverstelling or tegenstelling, which cover similar ideas of opposition or contrast. In English-language criticism, the closest equivalents are juxtaposition or contrast.

See also: Opposition, Juxtaposition, Contrast, Tegenstelling (Dutch).