#adjective reduplication

[ub-sessed]

Linguistics tumblr, can you explain this?

One characteristic of Louisiana creole is that it uses reduplication to intensify adjectives. How come? English and French don't do that. Does it come from a west African language? Or is a characteristic of creoles in general? More characteristic of some creoles than others?

[chinezintuition]

Adjective Reduplication

xíng róng cí chóng dié 形容词重叠

不脏，这不 是干干净净的吗？ "It's not dirty, this isn't clean to you?"

We can reduplicate adjectives to add emphasis to the quality they describe. Reduplication makes an adjective feel more vivid. We can reduplicate most monosyllabic adjectives, but only some disyllabic ones. Unfortunately, there is no rule for which adjectives can be reduplicated and which ones can't.

Disyllabic adjectives reduplicate in an AABB pattern: the first syllable we repeat and then we follow it by the second syllable repeated.

For Example:

qīng chǔ ("clear") becomes qīng qing chǔ chǔ ("clear")

Some situations require reduplication. When using an adjective in an adverbial phrase to modify a verb, we often reduplicate it (see de, 地. e.g., 这个女孩高高兴兴地走了.)

Also, when we have an adjective reduplicated, we can put it right after the subject, for instance: 他干干净净的. Once the adjective is reduplicated in this way, it cannot be put together with adverbs indicating degree (e.g., 很, 非常, 十分 etc.). So we can say: 他干干净净的。, but not 他很干干净净 or 他很干干净净的。

Sample Sentences

1. 不脏，这不是干干净净的吗？ bù zāng, zhè bù shì gāngānjìngjìng de ma? "It's not dirty: see, isn't it very clean?" 2. 我的房间干干净净的。 wǒ de fángjiān gāngānjìngjìng de. "My room is squeaky clean." 3. 我漂漂亮亮地做完了工作。 wǒ piāopiāoliàngliàng dì zuòwán le gōngzuò.  "I finished my work very well. 4. 行了，别总是啰啰嗦嗦的。 xíng le, bié zǒngshì luóluósuǒsuǒ de. "Okay, you don't always have to be so long-winded." 5. 我们的合同上写得清清楚楚的。 wǒmen de hétong shàng xiě de qīngqīngchǔchǔ de. "This is crystal clear on our contract." 6. 我想舒舒服服地睡一觉。 wǒ xiǎng shū shū fú fú dì shuì yī jiào. "I feel like sleeping comfortably." 7. 她高高兴兴地来了。 tā gāogāoxīngxīngdi láile.  "She happily came."