korduvuste

Korduvuste is a term used in Estonian language scholarship to refer to the phenomenon of repetition across language, text, music, and data. The word derives from kordus, meaning repetition, with the suffix -uste forming the genitive/plural used in academic contexts to name the phenomenon as a subject of study.

In linguistics and rhetoric, korduvuste denotes the repetition of phonemes, words, phrases, or syntactic structures. Repetition can serve to emphasize ideas, create cohesion, or impart rhythm. Common forms include alliteration (repetition of initial sounds), anaphora (repetition at the beginning of successive clauses), and epistrophe (repetition at the end of successive clauses). In poetry and prose, korduvuste contribute to motifs, echoes, and thematic reinforcement.

In music, korduvuste describe the repetition of motifs, melodies, or sections such as refrains, which provide structure, continuity, and recognizability within a composition.

In computing and data analysis, repeated patterns or substrings—korduvused—are central to algorithms for data compression, pattern matching, and anomaly detection. Recognizing and exploiting repetition enables deduplication, efficient encoding, and signal processing.

Terminology and scope: While most scholarly uses of korduvuste occur in Estonian-language texts, the concept translates broadly to the study of repetition across disciplines, including linguistics, literature, musicology, and computer science.

See also: kordama (to repeat), kordus (repetition), korduvus (the notion of repetition), alliteratsioon (alliteration), anafora (anaphora), epistrofe (epistrophe).