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Reduplication

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A word-building pattern that copies all or part of a form to express a grammatical or lexical contrast.

In precise terms

A morphological process that repeats phonological material from a base. Full reduplication copies the whole base; partial reduplication copies only some of it. The function of the copied material is specific to the construction and language.

An example

[base] → [base-base] (full) · [base] → [copied part-base] (partial) — schematic

What is going on here

The brackets show two abstract structures, not words from a particular language. In the first, the complete base is copied. In the second, only selected material is copied; a language's grammar determines what is selected and what contrast the resulting form expresses.

Why this matters when you are learning a language

A repeated-looking form may be a regular piece of morphology rather than emphasis or accidental repetition. Learning the pattern together with its function makes a whole family of forms predictable without assuming that copying means the same thing everywhere.

Across languages

Languages use full and partial reduplication for many different lexical and grammatical functions. A pattern may mark number, aspect, intensity, word formation or something else, but none of those meanings follows from copying alone; it must be established for the particular construction.

Related terms

  • MorphemeAdvanced — The smallest unit of a language that carries meaning or grammatical function.
  • InflectionAdvanced — Changing a word's form to fit its grammar, without making it a new word.
  • DerivationAdvanced — Making a new word from an existing one — often changing its word class.
  • AspectIntermediate — Grammatical marking of how an event unfolds — whether it is ongoing, completed, repeated or just beginning.
  • Linguistic typologyAdvanced — Classifying languages by their structural features rather than their family history.

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