Functions of Reduplication (Feature 26)
From Apics
Navigation: ← prev | next → | Overview | Feature Areas | Socioling. Features
Feature Annotation
Here we ask what semantic-grammatical functions reduplication can have in the language. The word class (verb, noun, adjective) does not matter, but please consider only reduplication patterns that are reasonably widespread in the language (i.e. patterns that are productive or at least are represented by half a dozen cases or more).
Reduplication differs from word repetition (”very very very good”, “yes, yes, yes!”, “he worked and worked and worked”) in that it is strictly grammatically determined. Reduplication may be total (e.g. Principense dôsu dôsu ‘two each’) or partial (dô-dôsu); these two cases are not distinguished here.
The semantic-grammatical functions of reduplication are grouped into three classes here: iconic, attenuating, and word-class-changing. We ask which of these three occur in your creole/pidgin language.
Additional remarks
....
Values
| Value | Value Annotation | |
| 1 | No reduplication | Many European languages do not really have productive reduplication (e.g. German), only word repetition. Hawai’i Creole has been said to lack productive reduplication as well. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Only iconic functions: iteration, plurality, distributivity, intensity | Iconic functions are illustrated by Ternate Chabacano día día‘every day’, Jamaican Creole blak-blak ‘very black’, Mauritian Creole tus-tus ‘keep touching’, Principense dôsu dôsu ‘two each’ |
| 3 | Only attenuating function | The attenuating function is illustrated by Jamaican Creole bigi-bigi‘biggish’, Saramaccan weti-weti ‘whitish’. |
| 4 | Only word-class changing function | The word-class-changing function is illustrated by Sranan pépre-pépre ‘peppery, peppered’; Ghanaian Pidgin puɔ-puɔ ‘poverty’. |
| 5 | Iconic and attenuating functions | Réunion Creole belbel ‘very big’ (intensity); rouzrouz ‘reddish’ (attenuating) |
| 6 | Iconic and word-class changing functions | Ghanaian Pidgin wì dè tɔk-tɔk am [we ipfv talk-rdp top] ‘we keep on talking’; puɔ-puɔ ‘poverty’ |
| 7 | Attenuating and word-class changing functions | |
| 8 | Iconic, attenuating and word-class changing functions | |
| 9 | Other | (Please give details in the “General comments” field.) |
WALS No.
(Only related topic)
