Reduplicatives in real life

By Herman M. Lagon

They slip into our speech like old jokes or fresh tsismis. You hear them everywhere — kids on swings, sari-sari store chika, even in a politician’s punchline. These word pairs like wishy-washy, flip-flop, or hocus-pocus turn stiff talk into everyday kwentuhan. For Pinoys, they are more than playful sounds — they are verbal jeepneys: colorful, a bit chaotic, but always rich with meaning.

Take a common exchange: “Tali-talithi lang na, indi man mabaskug.” Or how a teacher warns a student stalling at the board: “Indi magdilly-dally, ha?” These phrases are not filler. They carry tone, emotion and even culture in a neat, rhythmic package. From zig-zag and pitter-patter to fuddy-duddy, they reflect motion, sound, or personality — often better than their one-word equivalents. Computational linguist Carl Rubino’s linguistic maps show how deeply rooted reduplication is in Philippine languages. From anak-anakan to sama-sama, we speak in rhythms that reflect how we live.

They may sound playful, but reduplicatives do serious work. Scholars like corpus linguists Douglas Biber and John Sinclair note that these phrases are used rhetorically and politically, not just for fun. A leader saying “Everything is hunky-dory” is not just being casual — it softens uncertainty with charm. And when parents say a room is helter-skelter, it hits harder than just saying “messy.”

Some of these words soften harsh truths. Teeny-tiny feels lighter than microscopic, just like pass away softens the sting of die. But not all reduplicatives are gentle — some, like riff-raff or mumbo-jumbo, quietly decide who’s in and who’s out. We do the same in Filipino. Words like kanto-kanto or dugyot-dugyot do more than describe — they judge, often with a smile that hides a raised eyebrow. They help shape how we talk about status, behavior, even morality.

Reduplicatives thrive in digital culture, too. A dry reply? “Okey-dokey.” A dead post? “Meh-meh.” In online banter, especially among youngsters, calling something wishy-washy or criss-cross logic carries a punch — equal parts humor and critique. Linguist Deborah Tannen said repetition is how we bond or distance. That TikTok filled with yada-yada and blah-blah? It is not noise — it is a modern way of negotiating emotion and stance.

In the classroom, reduplicatives are everyday tools. Teachers might say “Wala na sang pahuway-pahuway!” to get students moving, or ask for “hustle-hustle answers” to liven things up. These are not just playful expressions. They work as memory aids, energy boosters and gentle pushes toward participation. In our teaching culture, where tone often carries more weight than technical terms, these words are pure gold.

But they are not always soft. In politics, flip-flop can sting. Media love the phrase “he said-she said” to flatten real conflicts. Scholars McCarthy and Carter called this “semantic shading” — where repetition distracts from deeper truths. Reduplicatives can disarm, but they can also deflect.

Their magic lies in range. Hocus-pocus can call out fakery or sprinkle a bit of magic. Tippy-tappy or chitty-chatty feels playful, sometimes a little flirty. And here at home, we have our own — adlaw-adlaw, gab-i-gab-i, tambay-tambay, sige-sige — words we toss around that quietly trace our moods, routines and daily drift. They remind us that life often flows with rhythm, not rigid rules.

Even if formal English turns up its nose at them, reduplicatives are everywhere — from catchy headlines like ping-pong politics to academic articles and TV ads. Local brands love them too: sarap-sarap, todo-todo, gwapa-gwapa — words that stick, sing and sell. These catchy doubles do not just sell — they stick.

Even at home, they bridge tone and tenderness. A parent may say “No more tippy-tappy” with half a scold, half a smile. Or “Stop the chitty-chatty” to gently rein in a noisy room. These phrases blend authority and warmth — tools to connect without sounding harsh.

In public service, they sneak into memos and meetings too. Chop-chop for urgency. Pow-wow for consultation. Boogie-woogie for morale-boosting events. These informal turns soften formal walls, making communication more human and less robotic.

Reduplicatives may seem small, but they echo something deep. In a country where we laugh through traffic, cry in karaoke, and joke through crisis, repeating words feels natural. It mirrors our rhythm, our resilience, our way of making meaning twice as rich with half the effort. So the next time you hear “chika-chika lang,” do not dismiss it. That little echo might just be carrying the soul of our language.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed by or connected with.