Reduplication: Difference between revisions

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The subject of this article is nonstandard and will not be understood by most speakers.

If you are a learner, this information will not help you speak the language. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the standard style, and to be informed and selective about which nonstandard styles you adopt.

Reduplication is repeating a word (near)-exactly to form a new word or phrase. In English, it occurs in words like "bye-bye" and "zigzag", in contrastive focus reduplication, and with "schm-".

Reduplication has often been suggested for Toki Pona, generally as an intensifier (for example, suwi suwi for "really cute"). However, it is not widely used, with a, mute, and suli being used for emphasis instead. It is occasionally not clear whether a repeated modifier is being used as an intensifier or as simply an ordinary word.

len ona li pimeja pimeja　

len ona li pimeja pimeja.^[1]

Their clothes were blackest black/black-on-black/very black (lit. black black)

A potential ambiguity of this feature would be the phrase lili lili. This is reported as being used by 1-10% of respondents in ku to mean "minimum."^[2] Under current standard grammar, it means "a little small". If read as reduplicated, it would also mean "very small", becoming an auto-antonym.

↑ jan Kepe, Nasi (2023) http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/lipu-suli/nasi.html
↑ Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. pp. 123, 266.

[1] Kepe, Nasi (2023) http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/lipu-suli/nasi.html

[2] Lang, Sonja. (18 July 2021). Toki Pona Dictionary. Illustrated by Vacon Sartirani. Tawhid. ISBN 978-0978292362. pp. 123, 266.

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 '''{{w|Reduplication}}''' is repeating a word (near)-exactly to form a new word or phrase. In English, it occurs in words like "bye-bye" and "zigzag", in {{w|contrastive focus reduplication}}, and {{w|Shm-reduplication|with "schm-"}}.
-Reduplication has often been suggested for [[Toki Pona]], generally as an intensifier (for example, {{tp|[[suwi]] suwi}} for "really cute"). However, it is not widely used, with {{tp|[[a]]}}, {{tp|[[mute]]}}, and {{tp|[[suli]]}} being used for emphasis instead.
+Reduplication has often been suggested for [[Toki Pona]], generally as an intensifier (for example, {{tp|[[suwi]] suwi}} for "really cute"). However, it is not widely used, with {{tp|[[a]]}}, {{tp|[[mute]]}}, and {{tp|[[suli]]}} being used for emphasis instead. It is occasionally not clear whether a repeated modifier is being used as an intensifier or as simply an ordinary word.
+{{Example
-A potential ambiguity of this feature would be the phrase {{tp|[[lili]] lili}}. Under current standard grammar, it means "a little small". If read as reduplicated, it would also mean "very small", becoming an auto-[[antonym]].
+|len ona li pimeja pimeja.<ref>jan Kepe, Nasi (2023) http://utala.pona.la/toki-en-lipu/lipu-suli/nasi.html</ref>
+|Their clothes were blackest black/black-on-black/very black (lit. black black)
+}}
+A potential ambiguity of this feature would be the phrase {{tp|[[lili]] lili}}. This is reported as being used by 1-10% of respondents in {{ku}} to mean "minimum."<ref>{{cite ku|123, 266}}</ref> Under current standard grammar, it means "a little small". If read as reduplicated, it would also mean "very small", becoming an auto-[[antonym]].