#tahitian

this is called reduplication. according to wikipedia, 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.

reduplication in tahitian is not just for emphasis—repeating a word can change its meaning in subtle ways. it might make something feel more poetic, more continuous, or even softer or cuter. it can also intensify or pluralize a word. the possibilities are endless!

since reduplication is a very common feature in reo tahiti, i could easily find quite a few examples. here's a short, non-exhaustive list of tahitian reduplications:

iti (small, little) → itiiti (very small; little by little)

to’a (coral) → to’ato’a (to smell of coral)

oni (male) → ’oni’oni (macho, to act like a male, to brag)

tio (oyster) → tiotio (small oyster)

rima (hand) → rimarima (finger)

tipi (knife) → tipitipi (to peel the vegetables)

rave (to take) → raverave (to shoplift)

ta’i (to cry) → ta’ita’i (to chirp, shout, cry repeatedly (over and over again, nonstop), cry together at the same time)

’ata (to laugh) → ’ata’ata (to laugh often, laugh with others, laugh together)

haere (to go) → hāhaere (to go—the two of us—together)

rahi (tall, broad) → rahirahi (two or more tall, broad things or people)

horoi (to wash) → horohoroi (to wash repeatedly)

tāpū (to cut) → tāpūpū (to cut several times, to cut into small pieces)

ta’oto (to sleep) → tā’oto’oto (to get some sleep)

fa’ari’i (to accept) → fa’ari’iri’i (to come to accept little by little, to tolerate)

ta’amino (to turn) → ta’aminomino (to go round and round; labyrinthine, as tangled as a labyrinth)

neva (to turn one's head to the side to look) → nevaneva (startled, restless, distracted, constantly moving, unsettled)

the tahitian language also uses what is known as metathesis, a process that involves reversing the order of syllables to change or alter meaning. for example:

niho (tooth) → honi (to bite)

’ōmuhu (to whisper) → ’ōhumu (to slander in a low voice)

maru (shade, shadow) → ruma (darkness) → rumaruma (nebula, nebulous; cloudy, obscured by clouds)

hook idea: reduplication is a highly productive process of word formation. it allows for the creation of new words and thus enriches vocabulary. sometimes it turns a noun into a verb, or a stative verb into an action verb; or changes the meaning altogether. newly created words can convey a wide range of nuances: more or less, smaller or larger, resemblance, greater quantity (plural), smaller quantity, repetition (frequency),... a whole range of nuances that are worth learning!

I will acknowledge that my family subscribes in the USA, and that this might be different in different areas. But also, Moana got dubbed in Hawaiian (by the original English language actress, Auli’i Cravalho!) and Hawaii is in the USA … so where the hell is it???

A View of Matavai Bay in the Island of Otaheite (Tahiti)

Artist: William Hodges (English, 1744-1797)

Date: 1776

Medium: Oil on canvas