When learning languages such as te reo MΔori and Gagana SΔmoa, I cannot help but notice that there are a bunch of words that feature some form of duplication in them. For example, in Samoan, several colour terms are reduplicated, such as uliuli (black) and pa'epa'e (white). In MΔori, there are words such as huihui … Continue reading Reduplication in some Malayo-Polynesian languages
reduplication
Why we don’t play “toe-tac-tic” — Ablaut Reduplications
The English language is filled with many subtle rules many of us do not tend to pay attention to. From frozen binomials and the order of adjectives, these grammatical rules are often long fixed in the noggins of English speakers, often realised by surprise, revelation or curiosity. Previously, we have covered why "bread and butter" … Continue reading Why we don’t play “toe-tac-tic” — Ablaut Reduplications
The Language Closet 