Reduplication
You are aware of the classification of words in language. One word group that is interesting that all languages exhibit to a certain extent is reduplication. It is the repeat of a one or two-syllable word for effect, but that's not the whole story.
You read and hear it by onomatopoeia, which is the word naming or vocal imitation of a sound associated with something. It is especially popular across language cultures with perceived animal sounds. I limit language examples to Korean and equivalent English sounds that you are most likely familiar with, sometimes hyphenated, sometimes not, depending on the writer's latitude of choice in punctuation. Some are dogs' barking sounds in Korean, "meong-meong," which in English is arf-arf or ruff-ruff or woof-woof, the sounds pig makes in Korean, "kkul-kkul" which in English is oink-oink. Others........
© The Korea Times
