Reduplications
/What is reduplication, and why do we repeat ourselves? Alan takes a fun look at linguistic repetition.
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What is reduplication, and why do we repeat ourselves? Alan takes a fun look at linguistic repetition.
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
Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.