Reduplication

[David Gil]

Paul and all,

I was labouring under the impression that the term "diminutive" was 
generally used to encompass a combination of small size with some 
affective meaning.  Or does diminutive really mean just "small", in 
which case, as Paul points out, most or all attested diminutives would 
actually be portmanteaux diminutives with "additional" affective value.  
Which, then, is the most common usage? And which was intended by Scott 
in his query?

David

On 03/03/2013 16:22, Paul Hopper wrote:
> Actually, it would be difficult, perhaps impossible to isolate a "pure"
> diminutive uncontaminated by some affective meaning such as expressivity,
> endearment or familiarity. To my knowledge, this term is never used to
> refer simply to an object whose dimensions are objectively less than some
> norm. This means, if it is true, that no languages have been found where
> "they live in a small house" would be rendered as "they live in a
> house-house". But if we never find the pure diminutive pattern
> synchronically, how likely is it that kin and nursery terms would start
> out historically as diminutives?
>
> The inquiry that started this thread specified that the examples should
> show full reduplication AND have a diminutive meaning that was not simply
> a derivative of some other meaning. On the basis of the contributions so
> far, it looks as if this doesn't happen.
>
> - Paul
>
>
>> In Hindi you may find many examples of  full reduplication such as:
>>
>> sar-sar 'a sound of wind',
>> Kal-kal 'a rippling sound'
>> Mar-mar 'susurration'
>> Car-car 'a crackling sound'
>>
>> Generally in Hindi reduplication comes for onomatopoeic words. But in
>> 'ghar ghar' it is used as in every home. Reduplication for diminutives is
>> not found in Hindi.
>>
>> Amitabhvikram
>> Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
>>
>>
>

-- 
David Gil

Department of Linguistics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany

Telephone: 49-341-3550321 Fax: 49-341-3550119
Email: gil at eva.mpg.de
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