# Repeating names - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 5, 2016, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972 "2016-05-05T08:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/1 "2016-05-05T08:25:58Z")
The other day I was visiting my friend Mr. Bebee who was recovering from a case of beriberi he contracted while fishing for mahi mahi in Bora Bora. During my visit I started to wonder what is the reason for these repeating names? Bebee suggested that I look into it and so the next day I began my investigation. I started by calling up Yo Yo Ma but found he was not at home. It turned out that Yo Yo was meeting Ling Ling in Baden Baden to give a concert in honor of the late Boutros Boutros Galli. Taking a break from my efforts, I went down to the Cafe 80’s for a drink. There, while listening to the tunes of Duran Duran, Mr. Mister and Talk Talk it occurred that the folks at the Straight Dope would have the information I was seeking. Can you answer my question chop chop? I’m taking a choo choo to Walla Walla soon and need the answer before I say bye bye to Bebee. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/2 "2016-05-05T09:56:15Z")
[Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication#Function_and_meaning) is sometimes used to mean plural or intensification especially in Polynesian languages. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/3 "2016-05-05T13:49:10Z")
> [@X.L.Lent](#): > > There, while listening to the tunes > of Duran Duran, Mr. Mister and Talk Talk > to Bebee. No fan of The The? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/4 "2016-05-05T13:53:17Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > [Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication#Function_and_meaning) is sometimes used to mean plural or intensification especially in Polynesian languages. Neat, I learned a new word. Spanish uses it to indicate “the genuine product”. _Café café_ would be coffee that’s undoubtedly, surely, 100% genuinely coffeeish. Choo choo is an onomatopoeia: it tries to reproduce train-made sounds. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/5 "2016-05-05T13:56:33Z")
Video game character Mario’s full name is Mario Mario. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/6 "2016-05-05T14:08:39Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > [Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication#Function_and_meaning) is sometimes used to mean plural or intensification especially in Polynesian languages. It seems to me that reduplication is reredundant. Reduplication should mean what they call triplication in that article. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/7 "2016-05-05T14:23:20Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > [Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication#Function_and_meaning) is sometimes used to mean plural or intensification especially in Polynesian languages. Reduplicating a noun is the standard way to make the plural in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), an Austronesian language. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/8 "2016-05-05T14:32:42Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Neat, I learned a new word. Spanish uses it to indicate “the genuine product”. _Café café_ would be coffee that’s undoubtedly, surely, 100% genuinely coffeeish. > > Choo choo is an onomatopoeia: it tries to reproduce train-made sounds. Do you like him, or do you like like him? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/9 "2016-05-05T14:41:04Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > [Reduplication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication#Function_and_meaning) is sometimes used to mean plural or intensification especially in Polynesian languages. > [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Reduplicating a noun is the standard way to make the plural in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), an Austronesian language. Thai uses it some – for example, _dek_ is “child,” while _dek dek_ is “children.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/10 "2016-05-05T14:53:09Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > Do you like him, or do you like like him? I cannot like like him, as I don’t know him closely enough. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/11 "2016-05-05T15:00:52Z")
Are you going out or are you going out out? ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/12 "2016-05-05T15:21:13Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > No fan of The The? Or even that great tribute ensemble, [The The Band Band](http://www.thethebandband.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/13 "2016-05-05T15:24:25Z")
Will you go driving in your Car Car? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/14 "2016-05-05T15:26:57Z")
In slightly related news, my kids love their new pets. They have a puppy dog, a kitty cat, and a bunny rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/15 "2016-05-05T15:53:09Z")
Not to mention Chinese speed skaters [Yang Yang (A)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yang_(A)) and [Yang Yang (S)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Yang_(S)). ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/16 "2016-05-05T16:42:55Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > Are you going out or are you going out out? Personally I would say, “or are you going out going out” I guess this will be a long, long thread. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/17 "2016-05-05T21:25:12Z")
I got so excited yesterday that I started yelling and yelling about how awesome things were. Then I ran and ran back home. I was so hungry I was just eating and eating everything. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/18 "2016-05-05T21:42:23Z")
About 7 million people live in Nyork Nyork. Which wouold sound hilarious, if it were just some little BFE town somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/19 "2016-05-05T21:52:01Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I got so excited yesterday that I started yelling and yelling about how awesome things were. Then I ran and ran back home. I would have also, but Iran, Iran’s so far away. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972/20 "2016-05-05T22:06:35Z")
> [@Charles Dickens](#): > > It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repeating-names-why/753972.md?page=2)