《新貴》看到第二季的時候耳邊已經一天到晚都是wishy-washy, willy-nilly這樣的詞了。很長一段時間不知道英語中這些聽著像唱歌、悠揚婉轉的詞叫什么，昨天仔細搜索了一下發(fā)現(xiàn)是reduplicated words，似乎又叫reduplicatives，類似于漢語中“開開心心”“快快樂樂”這樣的疊詞吧。

研究上頭了，看到中文互聯(lián)網上似乎比較少相關的介紹，決定把油管上講得挺好的一個視頻搬過來，并整理一些筆記供大家參考：

在上筆記之前還是先粗略介紹一下。疊字(reduplication)是世界各國語言中都常見的一個現(xiàn)象。大多數(shù)有疊詞的語言中字詞的重疊是有特殊的語法意義的（包括中文，具體是怎樣表達意義的我還沒弄清楚，歡迎補充），英語則不屬于此類。

據(jù)我個人經驗，諸如nitty-gritty，dilly-dally這樣的疊詞基本都是非正式的口頭用語，比較少會在書面英語中見到。另，似乎在英式英語中疊詞出現(xiàn)得更頻繁一些。

作用

咳咳，okey-dokey，疊詞最super-duper的作用就是聽起來很funny-funny，（誰說不是？）作為非母語者，掌握一定數(shù)量的reduplicatives可以增強我們日?？谡Z交流的fluency-fluency，且聽起來很地道ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

在具體語境中，疊詞可以起到強調、營造輕松的氛圍、使語速富于變化等等作用。甚至會有一些作家、詩人因為沉迷疊詞帶來的韻律而以疊字入詩入文，比如：

寫作手冊Building Great Sentences的作者Brooks Landon也提倡在行文中插入諸如疊詞之類的重復結構以增強句子的韻律，當然不能做得太過。下面這句話說得很好，翻譯不來，可以品下：

I could go on and on—we have a million zillion of these prefab mini-balances, and once you start thinking of them, it’s hard to stop. These mini-balances can themselves be used to create the collision of two- and three-beat rhythms, as in the sentence “Tall and tan, lean and mean, rested and ready, the mercenaries restlessly awaited their next mission, fit and itching for a fight, feared for their ferocity, armored by their amorality”—but such a sentence has a certain unfortunate, dare I say it, singsong quality. (Brooks Landon, Chapter 13)

順帶一提，漢語書面語里的疊字比英文多多了，且常見于詩文?！对娊洝菲鹁浔闶恰瓣P關雎鳩”，李清照的“尋尋覓覓，冷冷清清，凄凄慘慘戚戚”尤為著名；有時也能起到增強韻律、表情達意的作用。

分類

根據(jù)單詞重復的方式，reduplicatives可以大致分為（視頻字幕里對這些術語的翻譯不準確，下面的可能更正規(guī)一些）：

• exact reduplicatives / repeating reduplicatives 疊音詞

  完全同樣的詞重復，如：bye-bye，chop-chop，ha-ha，goody-goody

  因為理論上說話的時候任何詞或詞組都可以重復來表示強調，所以大可自創(chuàng)一些這類的詞，比如我在前文寫疊詞很"funny-funny".。這種用來強調的疊音詞叫contrastive focus reduplication（對比焦點重疊構式？）。

• rhyming reduplicatives 疊韻詞

  如：willy-nilly，walkie-talkie，hanky-panky，higgledy-piggledy

  需要注意的是”韻“在此處專指尾韻，即單詞后半部分拼寫、發(fā)音相同。如果是押頭韻(alliteration)，或者輔音重復(consonance)、元音重復(assonance)等不構成尾韻的話，應該是不算疊韻詞的。

  
  

• ablaut reduplication 元音變換（類似漢語雙聲詞）

  重復時詞的元音變了音，如：wishy-washy，tip-top，knick-knack，tittle-tattle

  
  

• multiple partial reduplication 部分重疊

  多見于歌詞，如：It's a hap-hap-happy day~

  
  

• intense reduplication 強調疊詞

  要重復兩回才算強調，如：You are sick-sick-sick!

  重要的事情說三遍。

還有相當一部分英語中的疊詞是舶來的，比如tête-à-tête，源自法語，親密會談之意。英語中的疊詞是早期現(xiàn)代英語時期才開始有的現(xiàn)象（Early Modern English era，即莎翁創(chuàng)作的年代——比爾：”英語？我發(fā)明的“）。當時疊詞多為外來，據(jù)說該時期唯一一個英國本土的疊詞是so-so。

以下是視頻中提到的41個詞，釋義及例句?；咀裱曨l中的出現(xiàn)順序，不過按照講解者提到的三個類別分了類。

Repeating Reduplication

CHOP-CHOP = hurry up

So CHOP-CHOP and don't DILLY-DALLY.

A NO-NO = forbidden, not allowed

Even though using mobile phones in class is a no-no,?students do it anyway.

HUSH-HUSH = be quiet, stop talking

Hush-hush everybody, don't you know that this is a library?

NIGHT-NIGHT = alternative to goodnight (said before going to bed)

I'm tired night-night everybody.

HA-HA = to say something is funny but often used sarcastically

I fell over in the street okay yeah yeah ha-ha why is that funny?

A GOODY-GOODY = someone who always follows the rules and is too respectful to authority

You do your homework on time, you don't stay up late, you never drink, you're such a goody-goody Michelle.

WAKEY WAKEY = wake up

It's time to get up we are leaving in 20 minutes, wakey wakey.

A BOO-BOO = a stupid mistake

All evening I was calling her Doris but her name is Sarah it was quite a boo-boo and I don't think she will want to see me again.

Rhyming reduplication

OKEY DOKEY = ok

SUPER-DUPER = great, wonderful

OKEY-DOKEY everybody I've got something SUPER DUPER for you today.

THE NITTY GRITTY = the essential aspects; the most important details

We are going to get to the NITTY GRITTY of reduplication.

MUMBO JUMBO = ?nonsense

This guy is speaking a lot of MUMBO-JUMBO.

EASY-PEASY = very easy

The good news is it's EASY-PEASY.

ARTY-FARTY = showing an interest in the arts and high culture

Look at you with your books about Dostoevsky writing poetry of with your floppy hair you're so arty-farty.

WILLY-NILLY = without direction or plan

Don't write things down willy-nilly you need a plan you need to be methodical.

HIGGLEDY-PIGGLEDY = in a confused and disordered way

The books on the shelf in the library were not in any order they had just been placed there higgledy-piggledy and that's why the librarian was fired.

A CHICK FLICK = a film particularly appreciated by women

I wanted to see Fast and Furious 12 she wanted to see Love Actually and in the end yeah we went to see the chick flick.

TO HOBNOB = ?to mix socially with those of high social status

I was invited to the mayor's garden party and I spent the afternoon hobnobbing with local celebrities

TEENY-WEENY = very tiny

— "I'm sorry I insulted your mother got into a fight with your brother and vomited in the Christmas tree you see I was a teeny-weeny bit drunk." — "You had two bottles of wine and four beers that's not a teeny bit." — "Yeah, sorry."

ARGY-BARGY = a serious argument conflict

If I don't get what I want there's gonna be some argy-bargy you know I mean?

TO BE EVEN-STEVENS = to result in a balance of writing and losing

My girlfriend ran away with my best friend but I did get a fantastic new job so at the end of the week I would say that I'm even Stephens.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE = twice as much trouble

You were rude to me today but if you're rude to my wife there will be double-trouble yeah.

A BIGWIG = a very important person

Nothing happens in town without Potter's permission he's the bigwig around here.

A FAT CAT = an overpaid businessman

Workers on the factory floor get paid almost nothing while the fat cats in the boardroom earn millions.

A WALKIE-TALKIE = a portable two-way radio

Hello, yes I can hear you loud and clear on my walkie talkie.

LOVEY-DOVEY = excessively affectionate and sentimental especially in public

When I walked in the room Harry and Betty were getting all lovey-dovey on the couch.

A FUDDY-DUDDY = a person who is old-fashioned (usually too much)

— "In my day songs had a nice tune modern music is terrible, it's just a noise." — "Oh you're such a fuddy-duddy grandpa."

BOY TOYS = toys and equipment especially appreciated by boys

He loved his motorbike, his sports car, his games console his drone and all his boy toys.

TOY BOY = a young man in a relationship with a much older woman

You know her boyfriend is 20 years younger than her you might call him her toy boy.

A NITWIT = a stupid or foolish person

Yes you find people who believe the earth is flat and others who don't believe climate change is man-made these people are just nitwits.

HANKY-PANKY = bad behaviour (sometimes of a dishonest, illegal or sexual nature)

I came back after the weekend and I find empty vodka bottles, cigarette butts and the place is a mess what kind of hanky-panky has been going on here?

Ablaut reduplication

TITTLE-TALLE = idle talk, insignificant conversation

No, this is not just TITTLE-TATTLE you know.

TO DILLY-DALLY = to waste time, linger

So CHOP-CHOP and don't DILLY-DALLY.

KNICK-KNACKS = small, worthless objects that decorate a room

Her bedroom was filled with knick-knacks she had acquired on her travels.

RIFF-RAFF = (disrespectful) people with a bad reputation or of a low social class

Mrs. Brown stayed in her rich neighborhood and never ventured downtown because she didn't like to mix with what she called the riff-raff.

WISHY-WASHY = lacking in firm ideas or principles

They said the book was inspirational but honestly it just had a few wishy-washy cliches about 'follow your dreams' and 'just do it.

A MISHMASH = a confused mixture of things

The town hall building was a mishmash of mock tudor neo-gothic modern and classical styles.

TOPSY-TURVY = in complete confusion or disorder

The topsy-turvy months after the Revolution were eventually followed by order and calm once free elections were held.

CHIT-CHAT = informal conversation

— "So what did you talk about?" — "Nothing interesting just office chitchat mostly."

ZIGZAG = a line or course having abrupt alternate right and left turns

The path Zig zagged through the forest.

CLIP-TRAP = absurd or nonsensical talk or ideas

Politicians promised if we left the European Union everything would be easy and wonderful in this country now we know this is just clapTRAP.

（手敲不易，多多點贊）

最后補充一些Building Great Sentences的作者認為可以使句子聽起來更生動的詞匯，有一些和上面的重復，有一些嚴格來說不是疊詞，但是效果差不多。

【參考資料】

http://wals.info/chapter/27

https://www.thoughtco.com/reduplicative-words-1692030

https://daily.jstor.org/the-nitty-gritty-on-reduplication-so-good-you-have-to-say-it-twice/#:~:text=Reduplication is a widespread linguistic,reasons (but not always).

https://www.zhihu.com/question/56603932/answer/149819292

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUdjWTZzpxw