Redundancy (language)
Encyclopedia
In linguistics
, redundancy is the construction of a phrase that presents some idea using more information, often via multiple means, than is necessary for one to be able understand the idea.
Often, redundancies occur in speech unintentionally, but redundant phrases can also be deliberately constructed for emphasis, to reduce the chance that a phrase will be misinterpreted. In rhetoric
, the term "redundancy" tends to have a negative connotation and may be perceived as improper because of its use of duplicative or unnecessary wording (and some people expand the definition to include self-contradictory wording, similar to double negation
); however, it remains a linguistically valid way of placing emphasis
on some expressed idea. Through the use of repetition of certain concepts, redundancy increases the odds of predictability of a message's meaning and understanding to others.
Redundancy typically takes the form of tautology
: phrases that repeat a meaning with different though semantically similar words. Common examples are: "a variety of different items", "an added bonus", "to over-exaggerate", "and etc.", "end result", "free gift", "future plans", "unconfirmed rumor", "to kill, murder, or electrocute someone to death", "past history", "safe haven", "potential hazard", "completely surrounded", "false pretense," and so on. There is also the self-referential "joke organization" called "The Redundancy Society of Redundancy", also rendered as "Society of Redundancy Society".
A subset of tautology is RAS syndrome
in which one of the words represented by an acronym is then repeated outside the acronym: "ATM machine", "HIV virus", "PIN number" and "RAID array". These phases expand to "automated teller machine machine", "human immunodeficiency virus virus", "personal identification number number", and "redundant array of independent disks array", respectively. "RAS syndrome" is itself a tongue-in-cheek
example of the RAS syndrome in action; it expands to "Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome". Another common one used especially by teenagers is the phrase "i ily you", an 'msn speak' phrase which literally means "i i love you you".
On the phonological level, the redundancy of phonological rules may clarify some vagueness in spoken communication
; "a speaker may know that 'thisrip' must be 'this rip' and not 'thi srip' because in English
the initial consonant cluster
'sr' is illegal" (Pinker, 1994, p. 178). Also, certain phrases such as "ice cream sundae" and "capitol building" are considered redundant when written, but when spoken can clarify ambiguities due to homonyms.
It is this feature of redundancy that has been said to be important in allowing humans to acquire a complex grammar
system. A child acquiring language
must abstract away grammatical rules based on the input which he hears. Redundancy in language allows the child's inductions to be more stable by presenting more salient evidence upon which these inductions are based. Redundancy therefore provides the sufficient stimulus needed to acquire a complex grammar system.
A more general classification of redundancy is pleonasm
, which can be any unnecessary words (or even word parts). Subsuming both rhetorical tautology and RAS syndrome, it also includes dialectal usage of technically unnecessary parts, as in "off of" vs. "off", "onto" vs. "on" etc. Pleonasm can also take the form of purely semantic redundancies that are a part of the de facto standard usage in a language and "transparent" to the user (e.g., the French question "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" meaning "What's that?" or "What is it?", which translates very literally as "What is it that it is?"). The term pleonasm is most often, however, employed as synonymous with tautology.
The use of confusing, tumid linguistic constructions in vocally or graphically expressed communications (as in that phrase, which could more simply be expressed as "being longwinded") is also a form of redundancy, with several names. Two rather formal names for it are prolixity and logorrhoea
. It is often done with manipulative intent, e.g. to confuse and mislead the audience (obfuscation
), to disguise the actual nature of a position or fact (euphemism
), or to persuade in politics or religion. In such cases it is often also fallacious
. Comedian George Carlin
was famous for criticizing the politically—and socially—motivated abuse of logorrhoea to hide the truth or manipulate public perception.
All of these forms of redundancy can be used intentionally, for positive artistic or rhetorical effect, frequently for humorous purpose, and for a number of other non-manipulative purposes, so their appearance in speech or writing is not automatically a fault. For example, duplicative language used as parallelism
can have a strong rhetorical effect.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, redundancy is the construction of a phrase that presents some idea using more information, often via multiple means, than is necessary for one to be able understand the idea.
Often, redundancies occur in speech unintentionally, but redundant phrases can also be deliberately constructed for emphasis, to reduce the chance that a phrase will be misinterpreted. In rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
, the term "redundancy" tends to have a negative connotation and may be perceived as improper because of its use of duplicative or unnecessary wording (and some people expand the definition to include self-contradictory wording, similar to double negation
Double negation
In the theory of logic, double negation is expressed by saying that a proposition A is identical to not , or by the formula A = ~~A. Like the Law of Excluded Middle, this principle when extended to an infinite collection of individuals is disallowed by Intuitionistic logic...
); however, it remains a linguistically valid way of placing emphasis
Emphasis
Emphasis or emphatic may refer to:* Emphasis , intentional alteration of the amplitude-vs.-frequency characteristics of the signal to reduce adverse effects of noise...
on some expressed idea. Through the use of repetition of certain concepts, redundancy increases the odds of predictability of a message's meaning and understanding to others.
Redundancy typically takes the form of tautology
Tautology (rhetoric)
Tautology is an unnecessary or unessential repetition of meaning, using different and dissimilar words that effectively say the same thing...
: phrases that repeat a meaning with different though semantically similar words. Common examples are: "a variety of different items", "an added bonus", "to over-exaggerate", "and etc.", "end result", "free gift", "future plans", "unconfirmed rumor", "to kill, murder, or electrocute someone to death", "past history", "safe haven", "potential hazard", "completely surrounded", "false pretense," and so on. There is also the self-referential "joke organization" called "The Redundancy Society of Redundancy", also rendered as "Society of Redundancy Society".
A subset of tautology is RAS syndrome
RAS syndrome
RAS syndrome , also known as PNS syndrome or RAP phrases , refers to the use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym or initialism in conjunction with the abbreviated form, thus in effect repeating one or more words...
in which one of the words represented by an acronym is then repeated outside the acronym: "ATM machine", "HIV virus", "PIN number" and "RAID array". These phases expand to "automated teller machine machine", "human immunodeficiency virus virus", "personal identification number number", and "redundant array of independent disks array", respectively. "RAS syndrome" is itself a tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
example of the RAS syndrome in action; it expands to "Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome". Another common one used especially by teenagers is the phrase "i ily you", an 'msn speak' phrase which literally means "i i love you you".
On the phonological level, the redundancy of phonological rules may clarify some vagueness in spoken communication
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
; "a speaker may know that 'thisrip' must be 'this rip' and not 'thi srip' because in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
the initial consonant cluster
Consonant cluster
In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. In English, for example, the groups and are consonant clusters in the word splits....
'sr' is illegal" (Pinker, 1994, p. 178). Also, certain phrases such as "ice cream sundae" and "capitol building" are considered redundant when written, but when spoken can clarify ambiguities due to homonyms.
It is this feature of redundancy that has been said to be important in allowing humans to acquire a complex grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
system. A child acquiring language
Language acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with...
must abstract away grammatical rules based on the input which he hears. Redundancy in language allows the child's inductions to be more stable by presenting more salient evidence upon which these inductions are based. Redundancy therefore provides the sufficient stimulus needed to acquire a complex grammar system.
A more general classification of redundancy is pleonasm
Pleonasm
Pleonasm is the use of more words or word-parts than is necessary for clear expression: examples are black darkness, or burning fire...
, which can be any unnecessary words (or even word parts). Subsuming both rhetorical tautology and RAS syndrome, it also includes dialectal usage of technically unnecessary parts, as in "off of" vs. "off", "onto" vs. "on" etc. Pleonasm can also take the form of purely semantic redundancies that are a part of the de facto standard usage in a language and "transparent" to the user (e.g., the French question "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" meaning "What's that?" or "What is it?", which translates very literally as "What is it that it is?"). The term pleonasm is most often, however, employed as synonymous with tautology.
The use of confusing, tumid linguistic constructions in vocally or graphically expressed communications (as in that phrase, which could more simply be expressed as "being longwinded") is also a form of redundancy, with several names. Two rather formal names for it are prolixity and logorrhoea
Logorrhoea
Logorrhoea or logorrhea may refer to:*Logorrhoea, a synonym of verbosity*Logorrhea , a communication disorder resulting in incoherent talkativeness...
. It is often done with manipulative intent, e.g. to confuse and mislead the audience (obfuscation
Obfuscation
Obfuscation is the hiding of intended meaning in communication, making communication confusing, wilfully ambiguous, and harder to interpret.- Background :Obfuscation may be used for many purposes...
), to disguise the actual nature of a position or fact (euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
), or to persuade in politics or religion. In such cases it is often also fallacious
Fallacy
In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually an incorrect argumentation in reasoning resulting in a misconception or presumption. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener or interlocutor , or take advantage of social relationships between people...
. Comedian George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
was famous for criticizing the politically—and socially—motivated abuse of logorrhoea to hide the truth or manipulate public perception.
All of these forms of redundancy can be used intentionally, for positive artistic or rhetorical effect, frequently for humorous purpose, and for a number of other non-manipulative purposes, so their appearance in speech or writing is not automatically a fault. For example, duplicative language used as parallelism
Parallelism (rhetoric)
Parallelism means giving two or more parts of the sentences a similar form so as to give the whole a definite pattern.Parallelisms of various sorts are the chief rhetorical device of Biblical poetry in Hebrew. In fact, Robert Lowth coined the term "parallelismus membrorum Parallelism means giving...
can have a strong rhetorical effect.
See also
- Agreement (linguistics)Agreement (linguistics)In languages, agreement or concord is a form of cross-reference between different parts of a sentence or phrase. Agreement happens when a word changes form depending on the other words to which it relates....
- OxymoronOxymoronAn oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms...
- Redundancy check