Photo courtesy of Pixaby CCO

If you are learning a new language, then you know that it is common to make a mistake when trying to make conversation. You might use the wrong tense, or make a word plural when it should be singular. Those are very typical errors for English learners. Don’t worry about it. But, conversation also means following along with what is being said, and knowing how to add to the discussion. I often see non-native speakers change the topics abruptly, making the conversation awkward. This is usually the result of a non sequitur being added to the discussion.

Non sequitur comes to us from Latin, meaning it does not follow. It is one of the few borrowed words in English which has no English equivalent. Philosophers and students of Logic dating back to the 16^th century would declare that a conclusion reached without following a direct process of thought was a non sequitur.

A logical progression of thought would declare that Brian likes coffee, tea, and cola. All three drinks contain caffeine. Therefore, Brian likes caffeinated drinks.

But, a non sequitur would occur by declaring that Brian likes coffee, tea, and cola. All three drinks contain caffeine. Therefore, Brian likes milk.

In English we have the idiom, it came out of the blue. This means that something happened as though it suddenly appeared out of the sky on a cloudless day when nothing unexpected should occur. All non sequiturs come out of the blue.

If you are speaking with your friends about sports and suddenly someone mentions what they had for lunch, that is a non sequitur. It makes the conversation awkward because the subject has been changed. Everyone was talking about sports and now they suddenly shift to talking about something entirely different!

Native English speakers are guilty of this, also. Sometimes all it takes for the conversation to veer off topic is for a pause or break to occur in the discussion. But to properly change a topic, you need to borrow from something that someone mentioned earlier in the exchange.

Sian: “This has been a great basketball season!”

Paul: “I know, many teams are much better than they were a year ago.”

Ian: “And teams we thought would be good have had their worst seasons in almost a decade!”

Paul: “Did you see the game that was on last night? That was a thriller right to the final buzzer.”

Tana: “I missed it. I was binge-watching the new sci-fi show on Netflix. It’s amazing!”

See what Tana did? She changed the subject, but followed a thread within the conversation, about watching television, so that there was a logical departure from the topic. It’s possible that Paul and Ian will continue to talk about basketball, but Sian may prefer to talk about Tana’s science fiction show. Or, perhaps, they will continue to discuss basketball a little longer, but return to Tana’s show later. The thing to remember is never to add a new topic to any discussion without a logical progression of thought to get you there.

The Latin verb segue, which means to follow is also the basis for several more words in English.

• A sequel is a story which follows an earlier, original tale. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Consequence follows an action. Every action has a consequence.
• Obsequious is to be closely following and flattering someone. The Congressman was always being obsequious around the President.

Can you think of examples of a non sequitur?