EAP - Linguistica Uralica Publications

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SINCE 1965

Linguistica Uralica

ISSN 1736-7506 (Electronic)
ISSN 0868-4731 (Print)

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Intensifying Reduplication in Estonian; pp. 268-277

PDF | doi:10.3176/lu.2008.4.02

Author

Mati Erelt

Abstract

The article focuses on (non-textual) reduplicative constructions in Estonian. From the formal point of view, reduplication in Estonian is total reduplication. From the semantic point of view, reduplication in Estonian reveals three main types: 1) intensifying reduplication, e.g. vana-vana mees ’old-old man’; 2) quantifying reduplication, e.g. (aina) inimesed ja inimesed ’only people and people’; 3) aspectual reduplication, e.g. jookseb ja jookseb ’is running and running’. The article will focus on intensifying reduplication. This type of reduplication is represented by the largest number of constructions, and here the opposition between scalar and totality reduplication is most clearly manifested. Scalar reduplication is manifested in coordinate constructions, comparative constructions, and genitival attributive constructions. At this coordinate reduplication is mostly asyndetic. Totality reduplication occurs in the form of relative and equative constructions. The reduplicative constructions in Estonian will be compared with similar constructions in other Finno-Ugric languages, mainly Finnish.

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