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reduplication

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The repetition of a word or element, often immediately, for emphasis or intensification

Detailed Definition
Reduplication is the repetition of a word, syllable, or element, often immediately, for emphasis, intensification, or rhetorical effect. This ancient device appears across languages and literary traditions, serving functions from emphasis to creating specialized grammatical forms. In poetry, reduplication can express intensity, insistence, emotion, or create rhythmic and sonic effects. The repeated element gains force through repetition and can suggest various qualities from childlike simplicity to incantatory power. Reduplication operates on the principle that repetition intensifies, and the technique remains effective across diverse poetic contexts and purposes.
Example
Example in poetry:
In “The Tyger,” Blake’s “burning bright” uses reduplication for sonic intensity; In “Jabberwocky,” Carroll’s “snicker-snack” employs reduplication for onomatopoeia; Contemporary poet Tracy K. Smith uses “black black” in “Life on Mars” to emphasize depth; In nursery rhymes, “hush-a-bye” shows reduplication for rhythm; Reduplication in haiku: “snow snow / covers the crow / white silence.”
Additional Notes
reduplication|The doubling of a word or syllable, often for emphasis or rhythm; common in oral and folk traditions.
Also Known As
word doubling phonetic repetition lexical echo Conduplicatio
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