Nonrepetition

Nonrepetition refers to the practice or principle of avoiding repetition of elements such as words, phrases, motifs, or actions. It is employed across disciplines, including language, literature, music, dance, visual arts, and mathematics, to create variety, surprise, or conciseness.

In language and rhetoric, nonrepetition is used to reduce redundancy and maintain reader or listener interest. Authors may accomplish this through paraphrase, synonym substitution, ellipsis, or syntactic variation. In speech, deliberate nonrepetition can contribute to rhetorical economy and clarity but may also risk abruptness if overdone.

In music and performance, nonrepetition describes forms or passages that do not reuse exact material, or do so only with significant modification. Through-composed structures, varying motifs, and development rather than exact reprise are examples. In dance and choreography, nonrepetition emphasizes new movement rather than restaging identical sequences, producing continuous novelty.

In mathematics and computer science, nonrepetition can denote sequences that avoid repeating patterns. In combinatorics on words, a nonrepetitive or square-free word forbids a substring of the form XX. Classic results include the existence of infinite square-free words over alphabets with at least three symbols, while binary alphabets cannot sustain infinite square-free sequences.

The concept contrasts with repetition, which can provide rhythm, memory cues, and structural unity. Nonrepetition, when used judiciously, enhances variety but may limit cohesion if overapplied.