Reduplication Pattern
Does repeating a form change the meaning?
Signification
A pattern where all or part of a word is repeated to express plurality, intensity, repetition, distribution, attenuation, or aspect.
Comment le repérer
Look for repetition of sounds or words that has a grammatical or meaning effect.
Exemples
again-again|little by little|go-go
very small|walk around|bit by bit
They talked and talked for hours.
Visual guide
BASE talk + REPEAT talk and talk = meaning shift long / repeated action or intensity / plurality
PRODUCTIVE ←────→ LEXICAL new words ok fixed only FORM: full repeat: again-again part repeat: piece + base USE: plural | intensity | aspect
Vue par langue
Dans votre langue maternelle
Reduplication exists mostly as emphasis, child speech, or fixed/informal style, not as a core grammar system.
Il est très très fatigué.
He is very very tired.
Dans votre langue d’apprentissage
L’anglais utilise la répétition surtout pour insister, jouer avec les mots, parler de façon informelle ou créer des mots; ce n’est pas un grand système grammatical.
It's a tiny-tiny problem.
tiny-tiny = répétition de tiny pour ajouter de l’insistance ou un effet de style familier
Les apprenants peuvent trop répéter les mots là où l’anglais utiliserait plutôt very, really ou un autre intensifieur.
Good transfer potential
This block behaves relatively similarly, so you can transfer intuition more safely between the two languages.