# Origin of repeating words for emphasis or clarification **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228 "2009-10-26T21:54:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/1 "2009-10-26T21:54:37Z")
For example: “Do you _like him_ like him?” “It wasn’t _rape_ rape” I’m sure there are more but I can’t think of any. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/2 "2009-10-26T21:59:11Z")
Is there some particular example in a book or show where you see this? I haven’t seen this before your thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/3 "2009-10-26T22:03:10Z")
I can’t add anything but an example from UK common usage: ‘Going out’ = going out for an evening. ‘Going _out_ out’ = going on to a nightclub after an evening out. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/4 "2009-10-26T22:03:44Z")
The rape one is Whoopi Golberg’s response to Roman Polanski’s arrest. The like him one is just something I’ve heard in IRL and probably in a romcom or sitcom or two. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/5 "2009-10-26T22:06:59Z")
A common one I remember from my software development days: “You say all your tasks are done, but are they \*done \*done?” No idea when people started doing this though. Since the early 90’s at least. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/6 "2009-10-26T22:18:07Z")
I think it’s more clarification, rather than emphasis. For example: Have you seen my cat? Do you mean a ‘cat’ cat; or a ‘cheetah’ cat? That is, someone is asking if the word that someone used is the commonly-accepted definition of the word (the word being emphasised); or if it is the same word with a different definition. In Whoopi’s case, she was saying that yes, Polanski legally raped an underage girl; but he didn’t ‘rape’ her in the way that most people think of ‘rape’. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/7 "2009-10-26T22:22:10Z")
I found this: > **[Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication)** > > In linguistics, reduplication is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word (or part of it) or even the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change. > The classic observation on the semantics of reduplication is Edward Sapir's: "generally employed, with self-evident symbolism, to indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, increase of size, added intensity, continuance." Reduplication is used in inflections to convey a grammatical... (and more significantly, this: [Contrastive focus reduplication - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrastive_focus_reduplication) ) (I was looking for the origin on the Stage-Irish ‘At all at all’) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/8 "2009-10-26T22:24:13Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Is there some particular example in a book or show where you see this? I haven’t seen this before your thread. If you’ve never heard “does she _like him_ like him,” then I’m guessing you never watched _The Wonder Years_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/9 "2009-10-26T22:24:54Z")
I see it as a variation of the type of phrase: Boys will be boys. Where the word is used once to denote an essential nature and the second time to denote the mundane, less essential usage. As for origin, do you mean \*origin \*origin, or just origin? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/10 "2009-10-26T22:28:43Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I see it as a variation of the type of phrase: > > Boys will be boys. > > Where the word is used once to denote an essential nature and the second time to denote the mundane, less essential usage. As for origin, do you mean \*origin \*origin, or just origin? 😃 Crap. You stole the joke I was going to use. I mean, you didn’t _steal_ it steal it, but you you stole it. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/11 "2009-10-26T22:36:41Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > I see it as a variation of the type of phrase: > > Boys will be boys. > > Where the word is used once to denote an essential nature and the second time to denote the mundane, less essential usage. As for origin, do you mean \*origin \*origin, or just origin? 😃 I disagree. At least in the “_like him_ like him” form, it’s to denote a fine shade of meaning while specifically avoiding a taboo term. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/12 "2009-10-26T22:42:54Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I disagree. At least in the “_like him_ like him” form, it’s to denote a fine shade of meaning while specifically avoiding a taboo term. I agree (with you) - I don’t see much relation to reiteration as in ‘boys will be boys’. The construction we’re discussing here, is similar in purpose to the (non-repetitive) “do you mean _funny-ha ha_, or _funny-peculiar_?” ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/13 "2009-10-26T23:06:07Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I found this: > [Reduplication - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication) > (and more significantly, this: [Contrastive focus reduplication - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrastive_focus_reduplication) ) > > (I was looking for the origin on the Stage-Irish ‘At all at all’) Google-fu is strong with this one. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/14 "2009-10-26T23:57:01Z")
Excellent link! Reduplication is a pretty common thing to find in languages. One thing I was always surprised about in Cameroon was that it was used in ALL languages- be it French, English or local languages. If you wanted a small piece of bread you could ask for “that small small bread”, “le petit petit pain la” or “beret petal petal hatoe.” Verbs were also repeated- especially in French. It was always “allez allez!” or “on vas bouger bouger” or “je vais manger manger ce soir.” ---
**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/15 "2009-10-27T00:04:15Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > At least in the “_like him_ like him” form, it’s to denote a fine shade of meaning while specifically avoiding a taboo term. I agree about the finer shade of meaning, but what’s the taboo term? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/16 "2009-10-27T00:40:48Z")
> [@Uncertain](#): > > I agree about the finer shade of meaning, but what’s the taboo term? In that example, _love_. Lots of little kids are very shy about using that term to describe what adults would call “romantic feelings.” Hence “_like him_ like him” denotes “liking him _in that way_” without using the verboten word. ---
**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/17 "2009-10-27T01:30:55Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > In that example, _love_. Lots of little kids are very shy about using that term to describe what adults would call “romantic feelings.” Hence “_like him_ like him” denotes “liking him _in that way_” without using the verboten word. I don’t think it’s to avoid saying _love_. Romantic feelings are not the same thing as love. I’ve liked many women _in that way_, but have loved only a few, and then only after developing an actual relationship. It wasn’t any different when I was fourteen. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/18 "2009-10-27T01:50:37Z")
> [@Uncertain](#): > > I don’t think it’s to avoid saying _love_. Romantic feelings are not the same thing as love. I’ve liked many women _in that way_, but have loved only a few, and then only after developing an actual relationship. It wasn’t any different when I was fourteen. Your experience is certainly as valid as anyone else’s. In my elementary school, one of the most powerful taunts available was to accuse someone of loving someone else. The widely-understood and completely unspoken but socially-approved method of avoiding the social pariah status that went with admitting to _loving_ someone was to say you like them and then clarify/expound that you, you know, _liked them_ liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/19 "2009-10-27T13:13:52Z")
Now pay attention Boy, I think, I say, _I think_ that this heah repetition been commencing for many a year now. [/Foghorn Leghorn] ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228/20 "2009-10-27T14:44:30Z")
The earliest example of this that I can remember is an old commercial for Glade (I think) air freshener spray. This ad campaign was based on the idea that the product was being referred to as an “air conditioner”. So there was this middle aged couple with New York accents, and the guy says something like, “You bought an air conditioner?!” And the lady says, “Not an _air conditioner_ air conditioner – an air _conditioner_.” I’m guessing that was from the 70s or 80s. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-repeating-words-for-emphasis-or-clarification/515228.md?page=2)