redup

Redup, short for reduplication, is a morphological process in which a word or a part of it is repeated, often with small phonological adjustments. The repetition can occur for the entire base or only a portion of it, and it frequently serves to modify meaning or grammatical function rather than create a new lexical item. Reduplication is widespread cross-linguistically and can be productive in everyday speech or fixed as a lexicalized form.

Full reduplication repeats the entire base word, sometimes with slight phonetic change or stress adjustment. It is often used for emphasis, iterativity, or to form certain discourse markers in some languages. Partial reduplication repeats only a portion of the base, or repeats a morpheme with a reduced or altered phonology, and it commonly marks plurality, frequency, or aspect. In many Southeast Asian languages, partial reduplication is a productive way to form plurals (anak-anak for “children,” rumah-rumah for “houses”) or to indicate iterative or habitual action (jalan-jalan for “to go for a stroll”).

In addition to these types, reduplication can appear in expressive or intensifying forms in various languages, and it interacts with phonology, morphology, and syntax in language-specific ways. Reduplication is particularly prominent in Austronesian languages (such as Indonesian, Malay, and Tagalog-derived varieties) but occurs in diverse language families worldwide, with differing functions and constraints. It remains a key topic in typology, phonology, and morphology, illustrating how repetition can systematize meaning and grammatical nuance within a language.