Reduplication: this is a general grammatical term to describe a process whereby a word, or part of a word, is repeated either exactly or with some spelling change; in English we see examples of this in “bye-bye” [exact reduplication], “flip-flop” [vowel change], and “helter-skelter” [rhyming]. English does not use reduplication in grammatical constructions except in emphasis e.g. “I would never ever do that”.
In Latin reduplication
occurs, albeit in a limited way:
[i] with some
verbs
canō (I sing) >
cecinī (I sang)
crēdō (I believe)
> credidī (I believed)
currō (I fall)
> cucurrī (I fell)
discō
dō (I give) > dedī
(I gave)
fallō (I deceive)
> fefellī (I deceived)
tangō (I touch)
> tetigī (I touched)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Latin_reduplicative_verbs
[ii] certain
pronouns to create emphasis, the first two being rare:
mēmē:
myself
tētē:
yourself
sēsē: him /
her / itself / themselves
[iii] Full or
partial reduplication also occurs in creating certain indefinites:
quisquis;
quidquid / quicquid:
whoever; whatever
Since the word is
a repetition, both parts decline, but, in practice, only the nominative forms
are commonly found as well as:
quōquō: to wherever / to whatever place
quotquot: however many
Look out for: quamquam,
a reduplicated form like quisquis and quicquid which, possibly,
originally had an indefinite idea but specifically means although and is
a conjunction, not an indefinite
Purely out of
interest: 7000 miles from Rome, another language does exactly the same …
Malay: siapa (who)
> siapa-siapa (whoever); La: quisquis
Malay: apa (what)
> apa-apa (whatever); La: quidquid / quicquid
Malay: ke mana (to
where) > ke mana-mana (to wherever); La: quōquō
Malay takes it
much further, but the same indefinite idea is conveyed:
jalan (go; walk)
> jalan-jalan (walk about)
The language can also
reduplicate words in the same way as the Latin verbs in [i] above:
berapa (how much)
> beberapa (several)
Sanskrit is an
Indo-European language that uses reduplication, and the language did influence
Malay in terms of vocabulary e.g. raja (king), istana (palace).
However, Malay is an Austronesian language and reduplication was a feature long
before any contact with Sanskrit. Therefore, it appears coincidental that Latin
and Malay – from completely different language groups – share the same features
with the same underlying purposes and ideas.
Examples:
Quisquis es, quidquid tibi nōmen est, senex,
summum Iovem deōsque dō testēs (Plautus) │ Whoever you are, whatever your
name is, old gentleman, I call Heaven and God on high to witness
pūrās sibi esse
volt aedis: domī quidquid habet, ēicitur (Plautus) │
He wants his house to be pure: whatever he has at home is thrown out
Hoc quidem hercle,
quōquō ībō, mēcum erit (Plautus) │ This, indeed, by Hercules, wherever
I will go, will be with me
Quia certum est
mihi, quasi umbra, quōquō tū ībis, tē semper sequī (Plautus) │
Because I have made up my mind always to follow you, like a shadow, wherever
you go.
Quotquot autem recēpērunt eum dedit eīs potestātem
(Vulgate) │ but as many as / however
many received him, he gave them power …
From: Lux Optata
Claruit (13th century)
Quicquid fuit mysticum testāmentō veterī │
Whatever was mystical (mysterious; symbolic) in the Old Testament
Quicquid fuit typicum Moysēs et cēterī │
Whatever was typical (about) Moses and the rest of them
Two indefinites in
the same sentence:
illīs perit quidquid
datur, neque ipsīs appāret quicquam (Plautus) │
Whatever is given to them is lost, and they themselves don’t have
anything to show for it [ = nor does anything appear to
them themselves]
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