Tautology. Pleonasm and tautology: examples of errors and appropriate use of words with similar meanings

This is a tautology a stylistic and rhetorical figure that represents the deliberate use of cognates or the same words; excessive repetition of identical words in speech, defined as a lexical defect. Tautology is a type of pleonasm, which refers to figures of addition in style.

Examples of tautology

The extreme extreme, the law is the law, beyond the distance there is a distance, a thunderstorm is a thunderstorm.

Tautology in folk art

Tautology is widespread in folk art. Many proverbs, sayings and sayings are built on the principle of repeating words formed from the same root: “Friendship is friendship, and service is service”, “They don’t seek good from goodness”, “Free will”, “Guilty without guilt”, which is primarily due to oral origin of expressions. The abundance of tautologies in folklore is also associated with the “singing” nature of works of folk literature. In addition, tautology is a common occurrence in prayers.

Stylistic device of tautology

In the language of speakers and writers, tautology is a rhetorical and stylistic device that enhances lexical expressiveness and expressiveness of speech. The tautology was used by the great Russian writers A. S. Pushkin, N. V. Gogol, M. Yu. Lermontov, L. N. Tolstoy, K. D. Balmont and others.

Functions of tautological device

Tautology is found in prose and poetic texts of different styles. In the context of artistic speech, a tautological device implements semantic and emotional functions, among which are:

  • excretory function - tautology enhances the persuasiveness of the statement, focuses attention on the details of the description: “She involuntarily thought with their thoughts and felt with their feelings” (L.N. Tolstoy);
  • temporary function - the repetition of words indicates the duration, the duration of the action: “Tsarevna Marya waited until night, unfolded the magic book, read, read, read...” (Russian folk tale “Go there - I don’t know where”);
  • clarifying function - through tautology, the property of the object is emphasized: “...on the top lay a black cloud, so black that it seemed like a spot in the dark sky” (M. Yu. Lermontov);
  • multiple function - repetition of words indicates a large number of objects: “... along the streets there are couriers, couriers, couriers, couriers... thirty-five thousand couriers alone!” (N.V. Gogol);
  • expressive function - tautology helps to enhance the liveliness and solemnity of artistic speech: “The road beneath you is smoking like smoke, the bridges are thundering...” (N.V. Gogol);
  • comic function - the use in one context of the same words or phrases of different meanings forms puns: “This cannot be, because this can never happen” (A.P. Chekhov);
  • rhyme-forming function - tautology in poetic speech serves as a means of forming rhymes, which are called tautological:
    The guests came ashore
    Tsar Saltan invites them to visit.
    (A.S. Pushkin)
  • rhythmic function - tautology is used in poetry to create rhythm. The repeated use of words gives the rhythm of ascension to the poem by K. D. Balmont:
    I learned how to catch the passing shadows
    The fading shadows of the faded day,
    And higher and higher I walked, and the steps trembled,
    And the steps shook under my feet.
    (K. D. Balmont)

Connections with other stylistic figures

A number of stylistic devices of artistic speech with similar functional purposes are based on tautology - anaphora, gradation, epiphora, framing, doubling, etc.

Tautology as a lexical error

Inappropriate repetition of words to define one concept, for example: depict an image, dream in a dream, come closer, is a lexical error that leads to a decrease in literacy and speech culture, so this defect should be avoided. At the same time, the repetition of words with the same root does not in all cases refer to an error; if there are no equivalent words in the language, a tautology is inevitable (for example, the editor edits, black ink).

The word tautology comes from Greek tauto and logos, which translated means the same (tauto) word (logos).

Tautology

Tautology

TAUTOLOGY (Greek - tautologéō - “I say the same thing”) is a term of ancient stylistics denoting the repetition of unambiguous or the same words. Ancient stylistics subsumes the verbosity of speech under three concepts: perissology - the accumulation of words of the same meaning, for example. synonyms; macrology - burdening speech with unnecessary explanations, for example. subordinate clauses; tautology is a literal repetition of the same words. The latest stylistics applies a general designation to all these concepts - tautology. An example of tautology from Celtic poetry, which generally widely uses tautology as an artistic device: “...For in battle, in struggle and in battle, it seemed to him that they were equal...” “It is easier to fall from the spear of strength, courage and combat dexterity, than from the spear of shame, shame and reproach” (“Irish Sagas”, trans. A. Smirnov).
Due to the peculiarities of the semantic development of language (see Semantics), in particular due to the weakening of the original meaning, changes in social evaluation and oblivion of the etymology of the word, T. is possible in a language in a number of cases, without being perceived as such: “black ink” (since it can be “colored ink”), etc. Hence the possibility of a number of rhetorical and stylistic figures built on T. T. becomes especially important in systems of rhythmic speech built on parallelism.

Literary encyclopedia. - At 11 t.; M.: Publishing House of the Communist Academy, Soviet Encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V. M. Fritsche, A. V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .

Tautology

TAUTOLOGY- repetition of the same words, expressions, etc., as, for example, in the epic about the Nightingale the Robber:

Near Chernigov there are black and black silushkas,

Black, black, like a black crow.

Tautology is an extremely common technique in the so-called. oral epic with its loving recording of details and long-term retention of the listeners' attention on the latter. The abundance of tautologies in works of folk literature is undoubtedly also associated with the special “singing” nature of their performance, in which tautologies served to fill “musical” “time”. Tautologies sometimes have such a rhythmic character in literature. This, for example, is quite obvious in Balmont’s famous poem: “I caught the departing shadows with a dream,” where appropriately placed tautologies give the rhythm of ascent. See, for example, the stanza:

“I caught the departing shadows in my dreams,

“The fading shadows of the fading day.

“I climbed the tower, and the steps trembled,

“And the steps shook under my feet.”

The importance of tautology for identifying and maintaining a certain emotional mood is great. Thus, prayers, spells, etc. are replete with tautologies, where repetition affirms the persistence of prayer, the inevitability of expected results, etc. In verse. Lermontov’s “Gratitude” (1840), the tautological “for everything, for everything” of the first verse (“For everything, for everything I thank you”) immediately determines the entire richness of this verse. Indeed, this first verse itself is only the first step gradation (see this word), because after it, gradually growing, there are individual moments of Lermontov’s terrible “gratitude” to God “for the secret torment of passions...”, “for the bitterness of tears...”, “for the revenge of enemies and the slander of friends ...”, “for the heat of the soul wasted in the desert...”. But, despite the fact that the specified first verse being first gradation level, should be, by its position, its weakest member, namely it condenses in itself all other moments of gradation, and the latter ultimately returns to him in the verse that concludes it, where the poet thanks God:

For everything I was deceived in life.

It is this meaning of the first, weak member of the gradation, as the main one, that is immediately revealed by the tautology “for everything, for everything” that begins the first verse...

The above-mentioned importance of tautology in folk literature for fixing the listener’s attention on certain details of the description, narration, etc., can also be found in literature. Gogol, for example, often uses tautologies in order to deliberately dwell on some insignificant detail in contrast to evoke a feeling of comicality in relation to what is being depicted. Let us at least remember the description of Bekeshi Iv. Iv. in “The Tale of How Yves Quarreled.” Iv. with Iv. Nick.". “Nice bekesha at Yves. Yves... And what a smile! Ugh, you are an abyss, what a joke..." or the tautological: "Wonderful man Yves. Iv.”, which begins individual moments of Iv’s characterization. Iv., and to strengthen the tautologies in the form of proof of the “beauty” of Iv. Iv. followed by a description of his house, then his love for children, etc. The purely sounding side of tautologies gives reason to use them as rhymes. In accordance with the instructions of Valery Bryusov (see his “Experiments”), these rhymes, which repeat the same word, should be distinguished from rhymes homonymous(see “Homonym”. Examples of tautological rhymes in Pushkin (given by Bryusov):

1) The guests came ashore,

Tsar Saltan invites them to visit.

2) Woman, what kind of boots...

Where do you see the boots?

Ya. Zundelovich. Literary encyclopedia: Dictionary of literary terms: In 2 volumes / Edited by N. Brodsky, A. Lavretsky, E. Lunin, V. Lvov-Rogachevsky, M. Rozanov, V. Cheshikhin-Vetrinsky. - M.; L.: Publishing house L. D. Frenkel, 1925


Synonyms:

See what “Tautology” is in other dictionaries:

    Tautology... Spelling dictionary-reference book

    - (Greek, from tauto the same, and logos the word). Expressing the same idea with different meaning words; unnecessary repetition in others of expressions that have already been said before. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910.… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

    In ordinary language: repeating what has already been said. For example: “A table is a table.” T. is meaningless and empty, it does not carry any information, and people try to get rid of it as unnecessary ballast, cluttering up speech and making communication difficult.... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

    Tautology: Tautology (rhetoric) (from other Greek ταυτολογία) is a rhetorical figure, which is a repetition of the same or similar words. Tautology (logic) is an identically true statement, invariant... ... Wikipedia

    Repetition, error, butter, statement, circle, judgment Dictionary of Russian synonyms. tautology oil (colloquial) Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011… Dictionary of synonyms

    Tautology- Tautology ♦ Tautologie A judgment that is always true - either because the predicate only repeats the subject (“God is God”), or because it remains valid regardless of its content and even regardless of the true meaning... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary

    Tautology- TAUTOLOGY repetition of the same words, expressions, etc., as, for example, in the epic about the Nightingale the Robber: Near Chernigov, the strength is black, black, as black as a crow. Tautology is an extremely common technique in the so-called ... Dictionary of literary terms

    tautology- and, f. tautologie f. 1. Repeated designation of an already named concept with a word or expression that does not clarify the meaning of the expressed concept (used as a stylistic device). BAS 1. If one common place is not enough, then let’s get down to the tautology of this... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

    - (from the Greek tauto is the same word and logos), meaningful redundancy of a statement, manifested in the combination or repetition of the same or similar words in meaning (true truth, entirely and completely); can intensify emotional... Modern encyclopedia

    - (from the Greek tauto the same and logos word) ..1) combination or repetition of the same or similar words (true truth, entirely and completely, clearer than clear)2)] Explicit circle in definition, proof and etc. (lat. idem per idem that ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The meaning of the word TAUTOLOGY in the Popular Explanatory Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language

TAUTOLOGY

And, well. , book

1) Repetition of the same thing in other words, which does not clarify the meaning and is usually verbal negligence, for example. : solar energy is the energy of the sun; dead corpse; the best; universal love of all people; satirical caricature (caricature - ‘satirical drawing’); a memorable souvenir (a souvenir is a ‘memory gift’); in the month of June (June ‘the first month of summer’).

Here we will force nature to bow to us with a bow to the ground. “Bow” is an obvious tautology (Isakovsky).

2) lit. Repetition of words of identical meaning as a literary device that enhances the emotional impact of speech. Examples of such a tautology: And I go single, but I go unmarried.

Don't be left behind. I am the prison guard, you are the guard. There is only one destiny. And one empty road was given to us in the emptiness (Tsvetaeva).

Synonyms:

pleon "azm (lit.), identity"ovie (special)

3) In logic: a logical error in the definition of a concept, consisting in the fact that the definition is replaced by a change in the verbal form of the defined concept, for example. : A circle is a round-shaped geometric figure.

Related words:

tautological

Etymology:

From Western European languages ​​(French tautologie ‘tautology’, German Tautologie ‘tautology’< лат. tautologia ‘тавтология’ < греч. tautologia < tauto ‘то же самое’ и logos ‘слово’). В русском языке - с середины XIX в.

Encyclopedic commentary:

Tautology helps to increase the expressiveness of a text or statement; widespread in fiction, journalism, oratory, folklore, sometimes in colloquial speech and vernacular. As a stylistic device, it allows you to give a speech characteristic to a literary character. [Borkin:] As a tribute to my delight, I dare to present... fireworks and sparklers of my own creation. May they clarify the night just as you enlighten the darkness of the dark kingdom (Chekhov). Tautology is often used in folk poetry: cries, bursts into tears; paths-roads; once upon a time. Can be presented in stable combinations in the form of repetition of different grammatical forms of one word: clearer than clear; friendship is friendship, and service is service (pog.) or using synonymy: the true truth, entirely and completely. Based on the principle of tautology, composite lexical formations such as willy-nilly, day-to-day, criss-cross, ways of expressing a high degree of quality are built: old-old, kind-very-good, good-very-good. There are phrases whose tautology is “removed” as a result of forgetting the original meaning of the word: white linen, black ink, low bass, monumental monument.

Popular explanatory and encyclopedic dictionary of the Russian language. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what TAUTOLOGY is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

  • TAUTOLOGY in the Newest Philosophical Dictionary:
    (Greek tauto - the same; logos - word) - 1) an expression that repeats what was previously said in a different linguistic form; 2) T. in ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Dictionary of Literary Terms:
    - (from the Greek tauto - the same and logos - word) - a type of speech redundancy, a type of pleonasm a: repetition ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Literary Encyclopedia:
    [Greek - tautolog?? - “I say the same thing”] is a term of ancient stylistics denoting the repetition of unambiguous or the same words. Antique…
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (from Greek tauto - the same and logos - word) ..1) combination or repetition of the same or ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
    (Greek tautologia, from tauto - the same and logos - word), 1) repetition of the same or similar things...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    (Greek: ?????????? from ????? or ?????? - say the same thing) - a stylistic term meaning unnecessary repetition. The name is especially common...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Modern Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  • TAUTOLOGY
    (from the Greek tauto - the same and logos - word), meaningful redundancy of a statement, manifested in the combination or repetition of some...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    and, f. 1. linguistic Repeating the same thing in other words, which does not clarify the meaning and is usually a speech error. | Example...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    , -i, w. (book). Repetition of the same thing in other words, without specifying the meaning, p adj. tautological, -aya, ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    TAUTOLOGY (from the Greek tauto - the same and logos - word), contain. redundancy of utterance, manifested in combination or repetition...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia:
    (Greek ?????????? from ????? or ?????? ? say the same thing) ? stylistic term meaning unnecessary repetition. The name is especially common...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Complete Accented Paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
    tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, tautology, ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    (Greek tautologia, from tauto - the same and logos - word) - meaningful redundancy of a statement, manifested in semantic duplication...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Dictionary of Linguistic Terms:
    (Greek tautologia from tauto - the same + + logos - word). 1) Identity, repetition of what was said in other words, ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the New Dictionary of Foreign Words:
    (gr. tauto the same + logos word) 1) repetition of the same thing in other words; 2) in logic - ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Dictionary of Foreign Expressions:
    [gr. tauto the same + logos word] 1. repetition of the same thing in other words; 2. in logic - logical...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Russian Synonyms dictionary:
    statement, circle, error, repetition, ...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the New Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
    and. 1) Repetition of the same or similar words without clarification or change of meaning. 2) Logical error...
  • TAUTOLOGY in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
    tautology...

Speech is one of the main tools in people's lives. With its help, they communicate and transmit information to each other. Politicians and public figures convey important information to the public through communication. However, there are many phenomena that spoil our speech, making it ugly and less informative. One such phenomenon is the repetition of words with the same root or tautology. We will talk about what this concept means in this article.

Tautology - what is it?

The term “tautology” was borrowed by us from the Greek language, in which the word “ταὐτολόγος” is translated as “repeating the same thing.” This concept is widely used in two sciences: rhetoric and logic. Accordingly, it has two definitions.

In rhetoric, a tautology is understood as a rhetorical figure consisting of words with the same root. Another option for repetition is to use words that come from different languages, but have the same meaning. It is extremely undesirable to use such constructions in speech, since such statements do not provide any new information. The only exceptions are cases when tautology acts as a stylistic device. Then these constructions are used to give poetic expressiveness to speech.

The following expressions are an unjustified tautology:

In logic There is another definition of this concept. Here, a tautology is an expression that always remains true. Of course, depending on the section of logic, this term will be interpreted somewhat differently. Most often, this phenomenon occurs when they try to explain one concept through the same concept.

For example: “Problem-based learning is education“in which the teacher creates a problem situation, and students try to solve it on their own.”

In the above statement we find two tautological errors:

  • in the first case, we see that they are trying to explain the term “problem-based learning” using the same term;
  • in the second case, the adjective “problematic” is repeated.

Agree, the above definition of the concept of “problem-based learning” does not help the reader to better understand its essence. That is why such mistakes should be avoided in speech.

Tautology and pleonasm

Tautology must be distinguished from another similar phenomenon - pleonasm. Both of these concepts indicate presence of redundancy in speech. However, it is wrong to say that they are identical.

Pleonasm call a speech phenomenon characterized by the use of words with similar lexical meanings within the same utterance.

Example: “Katerina gave birth to a daughter in February.”

Most often, pleonasms are found in folklore works. It is important to remember that in this case the words do not have a common root.

Tautology the unintentional use of words with the same root or lexical units taken from different languages, but having same value. Examples:

  • debut for the first time;
  • interior, etc.

Tautology is a fairly common mistake. However, text authors do not always manage to avoid lexical repetitions. Some words in the language do not have synonyms, so there is no choice but to use the same word.

How to avoid tautology in oral and written speech?

As we have already said, in most cases the tautology does not carry with it no meaning. In other words, it's just verbal garbage. In addition, the constant repetition of cognate words simply clogs your oral and written speech. Reading texts that consist of a large number of repetitions is very difficult and uninteresting.

The presence of unjustified repetitions in a person’s speech often indicates a low level of his vocabulary. In addition, this suggests that he does not know how to use synonyms in his speech. Of course, some expressions have become so deeply ingrained in our speech that we don’t even think about the fact that they repeat words with the same meaning.

For example:

  • make jam;
  • sit down;
  • to do a thing;
  • hot boiling water, etc.

To get rid of meaningless statements in your speech, it is recommended to read works of fiction more often. They'll let you expand your vocabulary. Also, learn to paraphrase sentences. Try to use synonymous words and expressions more often. If you find it difficult to find a synonym for a particular language unit, consult a dictionary.

Examples of tautology in literature

Tautology in the Russian language is not uncommon. As mentioned above, in literary works it can appear as a means of expression. Below we will give several examples of repetitions taken from Russian literature and talk about their role in these passages.

I dreamed of catching the passing shadows,

The fading shadows of the fading day.

I climbed the tower, and the steps trembled,

And the steps shook under my feet.

This combination of repeated elements of the poem allows the author to create an uplifting effect. In addition, they create a unique melody of the poem that instantly captivates the reader.

The guests came ashore

Tsar Saltan invites them to visit.

Tautology is used not only in poetry, but also in prose works. This technique is often used in prayers or conspiracies. In this case, repeating the same words is a guarantee of results.

Thus, a tautology is a speech phenomenon characterized by repetition of cognate words. As a rule, using the same words makes the statement meaningless. However, in some cases the use of this technique is justified. For example, this technique is widely used by authors of works of art to create the image they need.

What do the news clips from which the video below is made in common? Right! In each of them the same phrase “unpleasant incident” is used. And in each of them, the editorial staff broadcast a news text with a lexical error. Let's figure out what's going on here.

We look in the explanatory dictionary for the lexical meaning of the word “incident”.

INCIDENT-A; m. [from lat. incidens (incidentis) - happening] Incident, incident of an unpleasant nature; misunderstanding. Border incidents. Possibility of incidents between smb. I. is exhausted (has no bad consequences). Large explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. - 1st ed.: St. Petersburg: Norint S. A. Kuznetsov. 1998.

As we can see, the word is borrowed. Its meaning in Russian encodes not only information about the event, but also its specific assessment. In this case, it is some kind of misunderstanding that happened to someone. By adding the adjective “unpleasant” to the word incident, we duplicate information and, of course, make a lexical error. This phenomenon is called pleonasm.

The discussion about total speech errors is becoming increasingly relevant in our time. Even the speech of media workers, which should be a standard, is replete with such misunderstandings, let alone ordinary people. That is why, apparently, ideas arise to introduce an oral part into the Unified State Examination in the Russian language, so that the conversation about speech errors would be conducted in the classroom substantively and constantly. But it's never too late to become a schoolboy again for a while.

Pleonasm, lapalissiades, perissology, isosemy, tautology... Don't be afraid, they are not contagious.

Although it is not only media workers and writers who need to carefully monitor them. Such mistakes do not make anyone happy. They, like weeds, can spoil our speech. In order to “remove them by the roots” if possible forever, it is necessary to “know the enemy by sight.”

We have already become acquainted with pleonasm. This is a fairly common linguistic phenomenon, although many may read its name for the first time. Its main distinguishing feature is redundancy, excess. In Russian in such cases they usually say “oil oil”. By the way, this repetition of words with the same root is called tautology. Many linguists believe that tautology is a type of pleonasm.

Semantic pleonasms are associated with semantics, the lexical meaning of a word. Such pleonasms often include borrowed words. It's not hard to guess what the reason is. The person does not quite correctly understand what this word means, and adds another word, this time Russian, which duplicates the meaning of the first. This phenomenon is called perissology. Here are the most common examples:

  • Price list. Price list (German Preiskurant, from Preis - price and French courant - current) - a directory of prices for goods.
  • Timing of time. Timing (Greek chronos - time and metreo - measure) is a method of studying the time spent on performing cyclically repeating manual and machine-manual operations.
  • Interior. Interior (French: interiorieur)
  • Made his debut for the first time. Debut from French début - beginning, appearance). A debut is the first appearance of an artist in public. Opening (chess) - the beginning of a chess game.
  • Atmospheric air. The atmosphere (from ancient Greek ἀτμός - “steam” and σφαῖρα - “sphere”) is the air shell of the Earth.
  • First premiere. Premiere (French première - “first”) - first show, first performance.
  • There are many such examples: another alternative, free vacancy, the most optimal, nostalgia for the homeland, main priority, incriminate guilt, hair depilation, memorial monument, souvenir, folklore, biography of life, my autobiography, patriot of the motherland, work colleague, national referendum, demobilize from the army , additional bonus, exciting thriller, interactive interaction, information message, extremely extremist, 24-hour non-stop, local aboriginal, people's democracy, unusual phenomenon, optional elective, unexpected surprise, main theme, counter-attack, future prospects, complete fiasco, completely sold out, popular hit, preliminary announcement, summit at the highest level, stable stabilization, strict taboo, screenshot from the monitor screen.
  • Sometimes native speakers misunderstand the lexical meaning of native words. There are also our, domestic, semantic pleonasms that go beyond the linguistic norm: torrential downpour, five rubles of money, thirty construction workers, the month of March, ultimately, to go back, met for the first time, gesticulated with his hands, nodded his head, blinked his eyes, temporary reprieve, illegal gangs, the main point, takes place, the real truth, short moment, personally, surprisingly strange, initial basics, unconfirmed rumors, flock of sheep, retreat back, feathered birds, repeat again, completely destroyed, pre-planning, warn in advance, equal half, mix together, joint meeting, see with your own eyes, hear with your own ears, getting a job, going up/down the stairs.

Remember these expressions and don’t let them into your speech anymore. This is exactly the case when there is obvious redundancy and duplication of information.

On the other hand, language - This is a very complex living organism, and, of course, there are cases when everything is not so simple.

Types of pleonasms

Recently, pleonasms have begun to appear more and more often, which include the abbreviation: CD, ERD diagram, IT technology, RAID array, VIP person, GPS system, SMS message. In this case, it is more difficult to get rid of duplication, since the main lexical meaning is encoded in just one letter. Moreover, this letter - the Latin alphabet, and the word that is encrypted in it is also foreign, most often English. The Russian equivalent within the expression serves as an explanation. There are also domestic abbreviation pleonasms. For example, “power lines” or “AvtoVAZ”.

Some pleonastic combinations have already become entrenched in the language and have become the norm. A striking example is the “butter sandwich.”

The original meaning of the word borrowed from the German language was gradually erased from the memory of native speakers. A sandwich, as we understand it, can be made not only with butter, but also with sausage, caviar, cheese, and so on.

Another type of semantic pleonasm is verbosity. Example: he walked towards the house. This phrase contains words that add nothing to its meaning - "in the direction".

Pleonasms are not always errors. Stylistic pleonasm is characteristic of colloquial, journalistic and artistic speech, especially folklore, where pleonastic epithets and comparisons can crystallize into stable poetic formulas: path-path, little pole-field, sadness-longing, sorrow-grief, fate-fate, young-green, ocean-ocean.

Stylistic pleonasms (they are also called expressive) are often used deliberately in fiction. This is the author's technique, not a mistake.

Oh field, field, who are you
Dotted dead bones?
Whose greyhound horse trampled you
In the last hour of a bloody battle?

Agree that Pushkin’s pleonasm from “Ruslan and Lyudmila” adds imagery.

And here is a vivid speech description of one of Chekhov’s characters. “Take this case for example... I disperse the people, and on the shore on the sand drowned corpse of a dead man. For what reason, I ask, does he lie here? Is this order? What is the police officer looking at? Why, I say, police officer, don’t you let your superiors know? Maybe this drowned dead man drowned himself, or maybe this thing smells like Siberia. Maybe there is a criminal homicide here...”(A.P. Chekhov, “Unter Prishibeev”)

To be fair, it must be said that pleonasm in linguistics is not considered exclusively a speech error. Scientists define it more broadly. This is precisely a speech pattern that, under certain circumstances, either goes beyond the boundaries of the norm or is considered completely acceptable. In colloquial speech it can be used to enhance emotion or comedy.

Lyapalissiad: what kind of animal is this?

Here is an interesting example - the English poem “Guinea Pig” (translation by S.Ya. Marshak):

Guinea pig
Was
Mala
And that means she wasn’t a big pig.
The legs worked
The little pig has
When I ran away
She's on the path.
But she didn’t stand
When I was running,
And she was not silent
When she screamed.
But suddenly for some reason
She died
And from this moment
I wasn't alive.

The poet used the lyapalisiad in this text . This is another type of verbal redundancy - a statement of obviously obvious facts, bordering on absurdity. They usually create a comic effect in inappropriate, sometimes even tragic situations: “he was dead and did not hide it.”

Lapalissades received their exotic name under very interesting circumstances. The term is derived from the name of the French marshal Marquis Jacques de La Palis. According to legend, the soldiers composed a song about him, which included a play on words: “S’il n’était pas mort, Il ferait encore envie” (if he had not been dead, they would have envied him). The phrase can be read differently: “S’il n’était pas mort, Il serait encore en vie” (if he were not dead, he would be alive).

Tautological tautologies

Many scientists recognize tautology as one of the varieties of semantic pleonasms. This term is better known and is usually strongly associated with the phrase “oil”, which we already mentioned above. These are expressions that include repetition of the same (single root) or similar words. Most often this repetition is unfounded: smiled, smile, young girl, resume again, ask a question.

If pleonasm is an unreasonable excess, verbosity, as they say, “woe from mind,” then tautology is considered a more serious speech error, since it usually indicates a poverty of vocabulary and illiteracy.

But there are exceptions here too. Sometimes a tautology is a variant of the norm. For example, in colloquial and poetic speech the following combinations are used: bitter grief, wonderful miracle, wondrous wonder, black night, white day, icy water, mortal melancholy. Such epithets are considered quite a characteristic feature of poetic speech.

On the Internet I found a wonderful example of a parody that perfectly explains the essence of the tautology. The Moldovan comic duo “Ostap and Bender” came up with a miniature called "An Unusual Lesson", where almost all dialogues deliberately include tautological expressions. At the end of the scene the following poem sounds:

Lukomorye has a crafty bow,
Chain chain on that chain.
Half day to noon
Somewhere around noon
The walker is a stilted walker.
He will go to the right, from the right - right,
He goes to the left - left there.
There are more wonderful miracles there,
There were no more wonderful miracles.
There on unknown paths
Traces are chasing, watching.
There's a chicken on chicken legs
Kurei supervises while smoking.
And I was there, I was there, I was there,
I drank honey with honey...

In addition to semantic pleonasms, there are also syntactic ones. In them, redundancy and duplication of information extends not to one expression, but to entire syntactic structures. Compare two sentences: “She told me that she would come tomorrow” And "She told me she would come tomorrow."

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the words “about” are considered in this case as pleonastic, that is, redundant.

Time to check yourself

Let's now consolidate the result and try ourselves in the role of a strict and impartial television editor. Find semantic pleonasms in the proposed videos. By the way, all of them have already been met earlier in this article. At the same time, we'll check your attention.

If you personally found all 15 errors, then you can consider that the test is on the topic “Lexical errors. Pleonasm" in your pocket. Apparently you learned your lesson well in the end.



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