Reduplication

In linguistics, reduplication is a morphological process in which the root or the stem of a word (or part of it), or even the whole word, is repeated exactly or with a slight change.

The classic observation on the semantics of reduplication is Edward Sapir's: "generally employed, with self-evident symbolism, to indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, increase of size, added intensity, continuance."^[1] Reduplication is used in inflections to convey a grammatical function, such as plurality, intensification, etc., and in lexical derivation to create new words. It is often used when a speaker adopts a tone more "expressive" or figurative than ordinary speech and is also often, but not exclusively, iconic in meaning. Reduplication is found in a wide range of languages and language groups, though its level of linguistic productivity varies. Examples of it can be found at least as far back as Sumerian, where it was used in forming some color terms, e.g. babbar "white", kukku "black".^[2]

Reduplication is the standard term for this phenomenon in the linguistics literature. Other terms that are occasionally used include cloning, doubling, duplication, repetition, and tautonym when it is used in biological taxonomies, such as Bison bison.

^ p. 76. Sapir, Edward. 1921. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.
^ p. 31, Michalowski, Piotr. 2004. "Sumerian" in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World’s Ancient Languages, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 19-59. Cambridge University Press.

[1] . 76. Sapir, Edward. 1921. Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.

[2] . 31, Michalowski, Piotr. 2004. "Sumerian" in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World’s Ancient Languages, edited by Roger D. Woodard, 19-59. Cambridge University Press.

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