英文叠词大赏

【原文由本人b站专栏转载而来，非专业人士，旨在分享，如有错漏还望指出，感激不尽。】

《新贵》看到第二季的时候耳边已经一天到晚都是wishy-washy, willy-nilly这样的词了。很长一段时间不知道英语中这些听着像唱歌、悠扬婉转词叫什么，昨天仔细搜索了一下发现是reduplicated words，似乎又叫reduplicatives，类似于汉语中“开开心心”“快快乐乐”这样的叠词吧。

研究上头了，看到中文互联网上似乎比较少相关的介绍，决定把油管上讲得挺好的一个视频搬到b站，并整理一些笔记供大家参考：

在上笔记之前还是先粗略介绍一下。叠字(reduplication)是世界各国语言中都常见的一个现象。大多数有叠词的语言中字词的重叠是有特殊的语法意义的（包括中文，具体是怎样表达意义的我还没弄清楚，欢迎补充），英语则不属于此类。

据我个人经验，诸如nitty-gritty，dilly-dally这样的叠词基本都是非正式的口头用语，比较少会在书面英语中见到。另，似乎在英式英语中叠词出现得更频繁一些。

作用

咳咳，okey-dokey，叠词最super-duper的作用就是听起来很funny-funny，（谁说不是？）作为非母语者，掌握一定数量的reduplicatives可以增强我们日常口语交流的fluency-fluency，且听起来很地道ヾ(≧▽≦*)o

在具体语境中，叠词可以起到强调、营造轻松的氛围、使语速富于变化等等作用。甚至会有一些作家、诗人因为沉迷叠词带来的韵律而以叠字入诗入文，比如：

写作手册Building Great Sentences的作者Brooks Landon也提倡在行文中插入诸如叠词之类的重复结构以增强句子的韵律，当然不能做得太过。下面这句话说得很好，翻译不来，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)

顺带一提，汉语书面语里的叠字比英文多多了，且常见于诗文。《诗经》起句便是“关关雎鸠”，李清照的“寻寻觅觅，冷冷清清，凄凄惨惨戚戚”尤为著名；有时也能起到增强韵律、表情达意的作用。

分类

根据单词重复的方式，reduplicatives可以大致分为（视频字幕里对这些术语的翻译不准确，下面的可能更正规一些）：

• exact reduplicatives / repeating reduplicatives 叠音词

完全同样的词重复，如：bye-bye，chop-chop，ha-ha，goody-goody

因为理论上说话的时候任何词或词组都可以重复来表示强调，所以大可自创一些这类的词，比如我在前文写叠词很"funny-funny".。这种用来强调的叠音词叫contrastive focus reduplication（对比焦点重叠构式？）。

• rhyming reduplicatives 叠韵词

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

需要注意的是”韵“在此处专指尾韵，即单词后半部分拼写、发音相同。如果是押头韵(alliteration)，或者辅音重复(consonance)、元音重复(assonance)等不构成尾韵的话，应该是不算叠韵词的。

• ablaut reduplication 元音变换（类似汉语双声词）

重复时词的元音变了音，如：wishy-washy，tip-top，knick-knack，tittle-tattle

• multiple partial reduplication 部分重叠

多见于歌词，如：It's a hap-hap-happy day~

• intense reduplication 强调叠词

要重复两回才算强调，如：You are sick-sick-sick!

重要的事情说三遍。

还有相当一部分英语中的叠词是舶来的，比如tête-à-tête，源自法语，亲密会谈之意。英语中的叠词是早期现代英语时期才开始有的现象（Early Modern English era，即莎翁创作的年代——比尔：”英语？我发明的“）。当时叠词多为外来，据说该时期唯一一个英国本土的叠词是so-so。

以下是视频中提到的41个词，释义及例句。基本遵循视频中的出现顺序，不过按照讲解者提到的三个类别分了类。

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，多多点赞）

最后补充一些Building Great Sentences的作者认为可以使句子听起来更生动的词汇，有一些和上面的重复，有一些严格来说不是叠词，但是效果差不多。

【参考资料】

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

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