As with many world languages, English uses a playful form of repeated sounds and rhyming sounds to express certain concepts in a creative, emphatic, or fun-loving way.  Linguists call this repetition “reduplication.”

There are three kinds of reduplication: 1) exact repetition, 2) rhyming, and 3) internal substitution. 

1.     An example of exact repetition is blah-blah-blah (which means lots of talking without much meaning or content).  A number of these forms are seen in children’s language (for example: go pee-pee) and have a kind of simple, friendly rhythm—encouraging children to learn verbal communication.  Other repetitions serve to intensify the meaning, as in “He’s a real dum-dum.”

2.     An example of rhyming is hub-bub (which means busy, noisy activity); in rhyming, the end sound stays the same and the first part of the word changes. 

3.   An example of internal substitution is topsy-turvy (which means upside down or all mixed up); the first and last sounds stay the same and part of the middle is changed. These expressions often appear to show a kind of back-and-forth movement, first this way, then that way.  When the second word is a repetition of the first, with only a change in vowel, this is technically called Ablaut (from the German word for vowel: Laut).

People’s names are sometimes reduplications.  Here are some better-known examples.

·       Sirhan Sirhan (the man who assassinated Robert Kennedy)

·       John-John Kennedy (boyhood name for John F. Kennedy’s son)

·       Chi-Chi Rodriguez (a professional golfer)

·       Ling-Ling (a panda bear)

·       Boutros Boutros Ghali (former Secretary General of the United Nations)

·       Yo-Yo Ma (famous cellist)

·     Dee Dee Myers (former press secretary to Bill Clinton)

Test yourself:

Write the number of these 10 English reduplications in the blanks with their meanings. (A longer list follows below.)

1.  wishy-washy                        ____ something you shouldn’t do

2.  nitty-gritty                           ____ a totally polite person with no bad habits

3.  goody-goody                       ____ the small, difficult details

4.   dilly-dally                             ____ somewhat artistic but trite

5.   no-no                                   ____ unable to make a definite decision or commitment

6.   hanky-panky                        ____ play equipment pushing one child up and one down

7.   teeter-totter                         ____ to say something is not important

8.   bling-bling                            ____ a secret romantic relationship (“fooling around”)

9.  pooh-pooh                            ____ to waste time on a job or errand, not be focused

10. artsy-fartsy                           ____ expensive and showy jewelry

*Note: “You can say that again!” is an expression of affirmation.  It means “Amen!  I agree!”  It is used above with an intentional double meaning.

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1. Exact reduplications:

blah-blah(-blah)                                        bling-bling

bye-bye*                                                    chi-chi*

choo-choo*                                                chop-chop

doo-doo*                                                    dum-dum

goody-goody                                            knock-knock

night-night*                                                no-no

pee-pee*                                                   poo-poo*

pooh-pooh (verb)                                     rah-rah

shi-shi                                                         so-so

tom-tom                                                  wee-wee*

yada-yada                                               yoyo

(A number of these are children’s language.* )

2.  Here are more rhyme-reduplications:

artsy-fartsy (arty-farty)                            boogie-woogie

chalk-talk                                                 chick-flick

chock-a-block                                         clap-trap

gang-bang                                               eency-weency

fancy-schmancy                                     fuddy-duddy

fuzzy-wuzzy                                            hanky-panky

harum-scarum                                        heebie-jeebies

helter-skelter                                          higgledy-piggledy

hob-nob                                                   hocus-pocus

hodge-podge                                          hoity-toity

hokey-pokey                                            hub-bub

hugger-mugger                                        hum-drum

honey-bunny                                            hurly-burly

itsy-bitsy/itty-bitty                                    jeepers-creepers

lovey-dovey                                              lub-dub

mumbo-jumbo                                          namby-pamby

nitty-gritty                                                  okey-dokey

Oompah-Loompah                                   pell-mell

rag-tag                                                       razzle-dazzle

Slim Jim                                                     super-duper

teenie-weenie                                          walkie-talkie

willy-nilly                                                    wingding

3. Here are more ablaut or internal substitution reduplications:

bric-a-brac                                                 chit-chat

click-clack                                                 criss-cross

dilly-dally                                                  ding-dong

fiddle-faddle                                             flim-flam

hip-hop                                                     jibber-jabber

knick-knack                                             mish-mash

ping-pong                                                pish-posh

pitter-patter                                             riff-raff

see-saw                                                  shilly-shally

sing-song                                               splish-splash

teeny-tiny                                              teeter-totter

tick-tock                                                 tip-top

tit for tat                                                 topsy-turvy

wishy-washy                                         zig-zag