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<p>Hi Joseph,</p>
<p>Contrastive focus reduplication offers a "prototypical" meaning,
as in SALAD-salad (green, as opposed to a tuna/fruit salad, say -
see Ghomeshi et al. 2004). It is attested in many languages, but
does not match your description "especially remarkable or
exaggerated" exactly. Mattiola & Barotto (2023) mention Kikuyu
and Modern Greek as marking prototypicality with full
reduplication, and Alawa as marking it with partial reduplication.
They also recognize a function "intensification", marked by
partial reduplication in Luvale (e.g. cixika 'fever' → cixikaxika
'a great fever'), Rukai, Tiri-Mea, and Tonga, and by echo
reduplication in Western Farsi.<br>
</p>
<p>I recently performed a cross-linguistic survey of functions of
nominal reduplication, which will appear in Linguistic Typology.
In addition to the languages already mentioned, I found a
prototypicality meaning (or something similar) expressed by full
reduplication in Nande (Mutaka 1990):</p>
<p>- aká-húka 'insect' → aká-húká-húka 'real insect' (aká- is an
initial vowel and stem prefix; the stem is fully reduplicated).</p>
<p>Other possibly relevant examples, with partial reduplication,
from Tswana (Krüger 2006: 41, 43, without bases):</p>
<p>- mogologolo 'a very old man'<br>
- tautau 'a real strong lion'<br>
</p>
<p>... Turkmen (Clark 1998: 510):</p>
<p>- gap-gara 'coal black'<br>
- gıp-gırmıδı 'bright red'<br>
- gap-garaŋkı 'pitch dark'<br>
- tap-takır 'smooth as silk'<br>
- čıp čınım 'absolute truth'</p>
<p>... and Zimbabwean Ndebe (Hyman & Sibanda 2008: 307):</p>
<p>- ku-gulu 'leg' → ku-gulu.gulu 'a real leg'<br>
- bi-la 'intestines' → bi-la.bi-la 'real intestines'<br>
</p>
<p>Thai has a precision/intensive meaning marked by echo
reduplication (Noss 1964: 71):</p>
<p>- /phləən/ 'to be absorbed → /phl^əəd-phləən/ 'completely
engrossed'<br>
- /n`yaj/ 'to be tired' → /nèd-n`yaj/ 'exhausted'<br>
- /klaaŋ/ 'middle, amidst' → /thâam-klaaŋ/ 'exact center'</p>
<p>Finally, Tsou has a parallel for the "place known for ..." in
Chini, expressed with parallel reduplication (Tung 1964: 169):</p>
<p>- púzu 'fire' → pupúzu 'fireplace (where there is plenty of
fire)'<br>
- pái 'rice plant' → papái 'rice field (where rice plants are
many)'</p>
<p>Jaqaru also has a partial reduplication pattern with this
meaning. I don't have access to the original example from where
I'm writing, but Hardman (2000: 52–53) mentions at least 'rock' →
'area with many rocks' and 'house' → 'place with many houses'.</p>
<p>The Tsou and Jaqaru patterns do not include a
prototypical/intensive meaning component though.</p>
<p>All best,<br>
Camil<br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr. Camil Staps
Leibniz Centre General Linguistics (ZAS)</pre>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2025-8-7 00:45, Joseph Brooks via
Lingtyp wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CALTG=9EXjR8sv5CeJQtgS=9YaHxyTqj2_NgUrqjEph1Rv+_CMA@mail.gmail.com">
<div dir="ltr">
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail_default">Hi,</div>
<div class="gmail_default"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">I'm wondering if anyone knows of
any (cross-ling or for specific languages) work on this type
of construction where a noun/phrase can be fully
reduplicated for a superlative function or other meanings
such as an especially remarkable or exaggerated instance of
something. For ex in Chini (Lower Sepik-Ramu, PNG) anggunu
'mosquito' vs anggunu anggunu '(place known for) especially
bad mosquitoes'. Or as in English 'man's man', 'deal of
deals'.</div>
<div class="gmail_default"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">Thanks,<br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default">Joseph</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="moz-mime-attachment-header"></fieldset>
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