Thanks to reduplication it is possible to emphasize the meaning of a word.
Reduplication , which comes from the Latin word reduplicatio , is the act and result of reduplicating . This verb (reduplicate), for its part, refers to repeating something or increasing it to twice what it was previously.
In rhetoric and grammar
The idea of reduplication is used in the field of rhetoric and grammar . Reduplication, in this framework, can consist of co -duplication : that is, the reiteration, at the beginning of each verse or clause, of the last word used in the preceding verse or clause. Reduplication can also be the repetition of a linguistic fragment .
As a literary figure , reduplication involves repeating one or more adjacent words twice in a sentence . By repeating a term, the meaning of the expression is minimally modified, since it is given a different nuance.
Some examples
Let's look at a case of reduplication. A young man tells another: “Bruno is very, very angry with you.” The repetition of the adverb “very” allows us to allude to the degree of anger that Bruno has, who is really angry. In some regions, a similar effect is achieved without using reduplication by using the “very very” formula: “Bruno is very very angry with you.”
Another example of reduplication is the following: “Never, never give up.” As can be seen, the reduplication is based on the use of the adverb “never” twice, a particularity that allows us to highlight the great importance of not giving up and, therefore, of continuing to resist or fight.
More examples of reduplication: “Come closer, quick, quick!” , “You have to live, live and live” , “Call your father now, now” . Somehow, by repeating certain words we manage to enhance their meaning, at the same time emphasizing their importance in the sentence. This may seem unnecessary from a semantic point of view in cases like that of the adverb never , since its meaning cannot have different degrees but is absolute. However, thanks to this figure we can emphasize that the interlocutor should not underestimate our words.
If we say "Never go there again" but our receiver takes the adverb lightly, they may assimilate it as "try not to do it" or "don't do it too often." On the other hand, when we use reduplication, the chances of incorrect interpretations decrease. To complement this example, we can imagine that the interlocutor responds with another reduplication, in this case to assure the sender that he has correctly understood the message and that he accepts his recommendation: "I know, I know." While it does not have the same strength and may not be entirely sincere, these nuances depend on each speaker and situation.
Full and partial reduplication
So far we have seen several examples of total reduplication , a resource that consists of repeating a term completely within a sentence. However, in other languages there is the so-called partial reduplication , which simply requires the repetition of a part of the word, which is usually its first syllable , for purposes other than those set out above.
In some languages, reduplication serves to form the plural of nouns.
Far from serving to emphasize the meaning of a word, reduplication can be essential to form the plural of nouns in several languages, and this occurs with both total and partial. In the first group we can mention the plural form of "person" in Indonesian, which is the total reduplication of its singular: "orang" becomes "orang-orang". Note that when adding numerals in front, their singular form must be used, even if we translate it into plural.
The Papago language , from Mexico, uses partial reduplication with the same objective. For example: the noun "baana" ("coyote") becomes "babaana."