Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language

Mumtahhina Khatun

doi:doi:10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11

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Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language

Mumtahhina Khatun^*

Published in Innovation Education (Volume 1, Issue 2)

Received: 15 October 2025 Accepted: 27 October 2025 Published: 26 February 2026

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Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of reduplication in modern Bengali, focusing on its structural diversity, functional roles, and linguistic constraints. Reduplication, defined as the repetition of a linguistic unit—ranging from phonemes to entire utterances—is a key component in identifying multiword expressions (MWEs) and plays a significant role in Bengali morphology and syntax. The research categorizes reduplication into two broad types: one based on linguistic purposes and the other on grammatical functions. The first category includes morphological, lexical, semantic, onomatopoeic, correlative, inflected, and phonological reduplication. These forms contribute to word formation, semantic enrichment, and stylistic variation. The second category examines total reduplication—both pure and superadded—across various grammatical classes, including adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables. This type of reduplication primarily serves to express multiplicity, intensity, and emphasis, often transforming the syntactic or semantic properties of the original word. Findings suggest that reduplication in Bengali is not merely ornamental but a productive linguistic process that can generate new lexical items and even shift word classes. By analyzing these patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of Bengali grammar and the dynamic nature of its expressive resources.

Published in	Innovation Education (Volume 1, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
Page(s)	75-82
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Modern Bengali Language, Types of Reduplication, Linguistics of Reduplication, Functions of Reduplication

1. Introduction

Reduplication is conventionally treated as a morphological process where a lexeme root or stem is fully or partially repeated to form a new word. Reduplication carries various semantic meanings and sometimes helps to identify the mental state of the speaker as well

[16].

Reduplication can be defined as proposed by

[14]

: “the repetition of phonological material within a word for semantic or grammatical purposes”. This definition follows the one formulated by

[1]

, which states that reduplication is the “repetition of all or part of the radical element. The original word is dubbed as base or reduplicated, whereas the repeated word, either unmodified or modified, is labeled as reduplicant. According to

[1]

, reduplications “indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, an increase of size, added intensity, continuance”. Reduplication is one of the highly productive morphological formation processes in the Bengali language. The process of reduplication is indeed prosperous and robust in Bengali. It is quite frequently used in the language for various linguistic reasons and purposes. Additionally, it is used in various ways and manners to facilitate different means of information sharing and communication. Although it is mostly used to express the multiplicity of various countable items, it is also used to refer to the act of continuing an action or an event. The resultant word produced through this process is called a reduplicative. For example, ta-ta, gumur-gamur, kilkil, etc. According to cross-familial research by

[26]

, among 368 languages, 85% exhibit the presence of reduplication. The authenticity of Rubino’s work-based claim is attested by

[25]

. In this article, I have attempted to analyze the Bengali reduplicated forms in terms of their structure to explore how various parts of words tend to concatenate to generate the final forms and what kind of morphophonemic alternation occurs during the process of generating reduplicated forms. This study may help us to identify the processes these words undergo without considering their semantic properties.

2. Literature Review

The work on MWE identification and extraction has been continuing in English

[12]

. Some of the MWE extraction tasks in English can be seen in

[13, 17]

. Rubino

[26]

has shown that reduplication is a morphological process with iconicity. This feature is a natural phenomenon and hence unmarked in most languages. Though there are some reduplication-free languages, in the words of

[25]

, many languages have inherent reduplication constructs. Speaking on an areal basis, South Asian languages can make copious use of the reduplication process because of the presence of these in-built constructs

[23]

. Although Bengali is a language that uses reduplication to a great extent, only a few studies to date have given this issue systematic attention. One attempt at the classification of reduplication is a very brief study entitled “Reduplication in Bengali Language” by

[20]

. Bangla, according to

[16]

, is remarkably rich in reduplicated words. The author divides reduplication into morphological (including onomatopoeia), lexical (including echo-formations, compounds, and word reduplications, which can be complete and partial), and discontinuous (of the zig-zag type). In the study, there is just one example of verbal reduplication that is of interest to the present work, namely the reduplication of the imperfective participle calte calte as an illustration of complete reduplication. A much more detailed study was undertaken by (Chevkina,…), who speaks about pair constructions and repetitions (“povtory”). The term repetition indicates what in other linguistic literature is known as total reduplication. The identification of reduplication in the Bengali corpus and its semantic analysis was the subject of a study by Chakraborty and Bandyopadhyay

[18]

. The issue of fixed-segment echo reduplication patterns of a dialect of Bengali has been examined in detail in “Similarity Avoidance in Bengali Fixed-Segment Reduplication” by

[15]

, which only very marginally deals with the reduplication of verbal forms, as the type of reduplication examined therein is rare in such cases. References to reduplication and examples of reduplication form part of the description of Bengali offered by

[4, 22]

3. Research Methods

This is exploratory research based on lexicographic works and the researcher's observation. The major segment of data for this work has been culled from

[10]

work, Bideshi Bangla Shobder Obhidhan (Dictionary of Foreign Words in Bangla). Besides, examples have been extracted from literary texts and Bengali academic books, different kinds of storybooks in the Bengali language, and some social media sites. All the works cited and used have been properly acknowledged in the reference section of this paper. Besides lexicographic and literary materials, the researcher's observation has been amply used in this study. As there is a noticeable paucity of research materials on Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language, the concept of reduplication observation by the paper writer has been employed as an important research tool. This tool has been recognized by

[3]

. According to him, the issue of the dearth of previous research materials can be efficiently addressed through the observation of trained linguists and researchers. This is a small-scale exploratory study; hence, it is not immune to the shortcomings that typically accompany this type of research. Among the limitations of this paper, the first is the issue of space and time. It is remarkably deficient in the spatial and temporal aspects. Hypothesis formation and drawing of generalizations are difficult in studies that suffer from time and space constraints. Apart from this, the dataset used in this study is very small, even though efforts have been made to render it inclusive and representative.

4. Definition of Reduplication

For years, linguists have paid significant attention to the definitions, types, and functions of reduplication in particular languages or cross-linguistically

[21]

. Reduplication means “repetition” and “doubling”

[5]

. This method is a method of reword formation

[11]

. A recurring word is a word that is formed by reusing the same word

[11]

, according to A. Khodjiev, the repeated word, expresses such meanings as the majority (multiplicity) and duration. Within the general scheme of linguistic description, reduplication refers to the process of repetition or duplication of a linguistic item, such as a phoneme, morpheme, word, phrase, clause, or utterance as a whole

[6]

. In precise terms, it is a robust morphological process in which the root or stem of a word (or part of it) is repeated exactly or with a slight change. As a robust word formation strategy, reduplication is used in inflections to convey a grammatical function, such as plurality, intensification, continuation, etc.

[24]

. In all languages, the repetition of forms may be classified into two broad types: (a) repetition at the expression or formal level and (b) content or semantic level

[24]

. In sum, Linguistic reduplication is a phenomenon in which a word or part of a word is repeated, either exactly or with slight alterations, to create a new word or expression. For example, “Ki Bara Bara Bari Ekhane” (Here, the houses are very large). Reduplication has been defined in various perspectives based on linguistics, like morphological, phonological, lexical, and constructional perspectives. These are all described in detail below.

1) Morphological perspective: Reduplication is often described as a process of repetition of linguistic constituents, such as words, stems, roots, etc. As a result, reduplication has often been treated as an interesting area of investigation that involves an interface between phonology and morphology [X].

2) Phonological perspective: Reduplication is often described in one of two different ways: either (a) as reduplicated segments (consonants and vowels) or (b) as reduplicated prosodic units (syllables or moras)

[24]

3) Lexical perspective: Lexical perspective refers to the process of forming new words or altering word forms through the repetition of phonological elements, such as syllables, within a word. From a lexical perspective, reduplication is divided into two types: 1. complete reduplication and 2. Partial reduplication.

4) Constructional perspective: Constructional perspective is understood as a process in which the repetition of a word or a part of a word contributes to the formation of a meaningful linguistic construction. Constructional reduplication may be divided into four types: simple, complex, rhyming, and automatic

[24]

5. Different Types of Reduplication in Bengali

Some linguistics scholars have proposed different strategies for classifying the examples of reduplication from different perspectives. Based on their observations and arguments, reduplication can be divided into two broad types: morphological and lexical

[6]

. However, I have classified Bengali reduplication into the following two types. One of them is from a linguistics perspective, and the other is based on parts of speech, taking into consideration the form, nature, meaning, and pattern of formation of the final surface forms.

5.1. Morphological Reduplication

Morphological reduplication (also known as partial reduplication) refers to the process in which the minimally meaningful and segmentally indivisible morphemes (components of this type) are repeated in a process in which these formative elements are constituted of iterated syllables

[6]

. In most cases, the examples of morphological reduplication consist of onomatopoeic words, sound symbolism, imitative, mimic words, echo words, etc.

[24]

. The most common type in Bengali is the one where the first letter or the first syllable of the first word is changed to create the second word. This kind of change is caused by the motivation to match the rhyme of the end part of the second word with that of the first word, thus generating a state of phonological matching, as the following examples show:

1) khelā-ṭelā (games and other actions)

2) ṭaka-phākā (money and other things)

3) suto-ṭuto (strings and others)

4) juto-ṭuto (shoes and other objects)

It is noted that the reduplicant is generally copied upon the last two syllables of the base. In the case of long multisyllabic words, the reduplicant may be copied upon three or four syllables [X].

5.2. Lexical Reduplication

On the other hand, lexical reduplication (also known as complete reduplication) refers to the process of the repetition of any sequence of phonological units comprising a word or a part of it

[6]

. The process involves the repetition of an entire word, word stem (root with one or more affixes), or root in the formation of reduplicated forms

[24]

. In these cases, both the first and the second part of the final form are independent words in their full forms with independent lexical entities in the language, along with their registered independent usage in texts. Although each word carries a certain meaning of its own, when they are repeated, they generate a kind of meaning, which is not exactly the meaning of each word but something different from the total meaning of individual members, as the following examples show:

1) kṣata-bikṣata (wounded)

2) man-mejāj (mind and mood)

3) kāṭākāṭā (cut into parts)

4) pālṭā-pālṭi (exchange)

5.3. Semantic Reduplication

The most common forms of semantic reduplication in Bengali belong to a type where the semantic relations between the paired words are mostly synonyms, in the sense that both their first and second member denote almost the same or similar sense

[24]

. As the following examples show:

1) cā-kaphi (tea and coffee)

2) bai-patra (books and papers)

3) rājā-prajā (king and subject)

4) lok-jan (people and public)

In sum, these word pairs may be treated as examples of synonyms, hyponyms, and antonyms, as these word pairs show some semantic relatedness that exists between the members.

5.4. Correlative Reduplication

Correlative reduplication is where the second word is formed from the first word (primarily a verb) through certain phonological alternation (i.e., ā: i) to create the final reduplicated form. As an example:

1) hātāhāti (fighting with hands)

2) hānāhāni (killing)

3) kola-kuli (embracing)

4) khola-khuli (openly)

Semantically, such reduplicated forms are used to express a sense of exchange, barter, or interchange of action, as the above examples show.

5.5. Inflected Reduplication

This is a unique type of reduplication where the first word is inflected, and this inflected form is repeated to generate the final reduplicated form

[24]

. Although these inflected forms are, however, entitled to occur as independent words in a text, they are free to recur to generate reduplicated forms without any structural change or alternation. For Example:

1) kāje kāje (in all works)

2) pathe pathe (in all roads)

3) mane mane (in mind or silently)

4) hāte hāte (directly)

It is noted that these inflected forms are not only repeated to generate the final reduplicated forms, but in certain cases, these forms also combine with other similar forms with different meanings

[24]

. such as the following:

1) balte śunte (to see and to listen)

2) kathāy bārtā (in words and talks)

3) jale jaṅgale (in forests and jungles)

4) mane prāṇe (by heart and soul)

5.6. Onomatopoeic Reduplication

The use of reduplicated words for denoting sounds is a common practice in Bengali. In fact, in several studies

[2, 7-9, 19]

, it has been categorically stated that the use of reduplicated words in the domain of the onomatopoeic usage of words in the language is heavily loaded with a wide range of varieties in the formation and sense denotation of the words. In a recent study, it has been observed that there are approximately 2,500 onomatopoeic words in Bengali

[19]

, and a significant portion of this list (nearly 50%) consists of reduplicated forms. Below are some examples of onomatopoeic reduplication in the language:

1) khiṭir-miṭir (continuous quarrel)

2) ṭupur-ṭāpur (sound of rain)

3) hāpus-hupus (sound of eating something)

4) nādus-nudus (chubby in shape and size)

The characteristic features of onomatopoeic reduplicated words in the language may be summarized in the following ways:

1) They are nearly vivid representations of sounds. They describe a state or object concerning its manner, color, sound, smell, action, or intensity.

2) They denote aspects of events that are experienced sensorially.

3) They are figured out quite prominently, often bringing in a sense of repetition of an action or plurality of an item.

4) These are used both in spoken and written form in all text types and register variations to evoke expressive or dramaturgic function.

5) These are not restricted to any grammatical class as they pervade different word classes and syntactic constructions.

These onomatopoeic reduplicated words are found to occur in imaginative texts, informative texts, literary texts, mass media, science fiction, literature, advertisements, songs, music, children's literature, poems, popular culture, etc.

5.7. Phonological Patterns of Reduplication

There are many phonological patterns used in the modern Bengali language. But in this article, I discuss a few widely used patterns in this section. Some phonological patterns may be noted in the structure of reduplicated forms in Bengali based on the patterns of use of sounds or phonemes in the formation of these reduplicated forms

[24]

Pattern 1: CV [a/i/o/u/e]: CV [a/i/o/u/e]

1) ho-ho ýe-ýe ýā-ýā

2) kā-kā ki-ki ku-ku

3) gā-gā chi-chi nā-nā

4) pi-pi mā-mā śi-śi

Pattern 2: CV [o] CV [a]: CV [u] CV [i]

1) jholājhuli jhorājhuri tolātuli

2) phoṭāphuṭi bonābuni bojhābujhi

3) bholābhuli bhoṭābhuṭi mochāmuchi

4) moṭāmuṭi lophāluphi sojāsuji

Pattern 3: CV [a] CV [a]: CV [a] CV [i]

1) chāṛāchāṛi jānājāni ṭānāṭāni

2) ḍākāḍāki tāṛātāṛi dāmādāmi

3) pākāpāki pārāpāri phāṭāphāṭi

4) bāchābāchi bāṛābāṛi mākhāmākhi

Pattern 4: CV [i] CV [i]: CV [i] CV [i]

1) kiṛimiṛi kilibili khiṭimiṭi

2) khicimici giligili cikimiki

3) jhikimiki jhirijhiri jhinijhini

4) ṭipiṭipi jhilimili ḍimiḍimi

Pattern 5: CV [i] C: CV [i] C

1) kitkit kinkin kirkir

2) kilkil kilbil gijgij

3) cikcik cincin circir

4) jhirjhir jhimjhim jhiljhil

6. Reduplication of Words of Different Parts of Speech

In this part, I try to discuss the repetition of different types of parts of speech. Concerning the formation of reduplication in different parts of speech in Bengali, it is observed that it is quite productive and recurrent in the case of adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables.

6.1. Reduplication of Nouns

The structural analysis of nouns shows that these lexical items are reduplicated in the following five ways. These ways are:

1) The base form is duplicated where neither the first nor the second member carries any suffix element or case marker, as in ghar ghar (every house), din din (regular), meye meye (like a girl), ṭākā ṭākā (money), etc.

2) The base form is duplicated in such a manner that the second member is not a noun but an echo form of it, as in phal ṭal (fruits), hāt ṭāt (hand etc), bai ṭai (books etc), etc.

3) The base form is duplicated, and both the members carry the suffix -e, as in jane jane (person by person), dine dine (day by day), ghare ghare (in every house), etc.

4) The base form is duplicated, and both the members take the suffix -āy, as in kathāy kathāy (in every word), darjāy darjāy (at every door), rāstāy rāstāy (on different roads), etc.

5) The base form is duplicated, and both members take the suffix marker -te, as in nadīte nadīte (in rivers), bāṛite bāṛite (in every house), sakhīte sakhīte (between two girlfriends), etc.

6.2. Reduplication of Pronouns

The pronouns in Bengali are reduplicated in the following steps:

1) The pronominal roots are reduplicated without the addition of any suffix or inflection marker, e.g., se se (those), tumi tumi (you and you), ýe se (anyone), ke ke (who and who).

2) The pronominal roots are reduplicated with the addition of the enclitic marker -ṭā or -ṭi, e.g., eṭā eṭā (this and this), eṭā seṭā (this and), ýeṭā ýeṭā (anything), ýeṭi ýeṭi (anything).

3) The pronominal roots are reduplicated while both the forms are tagged with the plural marker -rā, as in ýārā ýārā (those who), ýārā tārā (one and all), kārā kārā (who ones), etc.

4) The pronominal roots are reduplicated while both the forms are tagged with the plural marker -gulo, as in, ýegulo ýegulo (those which,) segulo (one and all), kongulo kongulo (which ones), etc.

5) The pronominal roots are reduplicated while both the forms are tagged with the accusative case marker -ke, as in, ýāke ýāke (to whom), ýāke tāke (to anyone), eke eke (to this and this), oke oke (to that and that).

6) The pronominal roots are reduplicated while both the forms are tagged with the genitive case marker -r, as in ýār ýār (of whom), ýār tār (of anyone), kār kār (of whom), nijer nijer (of one's own), etc.

7) The pronominal roots are reduplicated while both the forms are tagged with the genitive case marker -der, as in ýāder ýāder (of whom), ýāder tāder (of anyone), kāder kāder (of whom), etc.

6.3. Reduplication of Adjectives

The Bengali adjectives are reduplicated in two different ways, as the following examples show:

1) The first adjectival form is reduplicated, where the members have neither any suffix nor any marker attached to them, e.g., kālo kālo (blackish), choṭa choṭa (small), bhāla bhāla (good), sādā sādā (white), etc.

2) A part of the first member is duplicated while the second member remains unchanged. When the first member has no suffix or marker, the second member has the marker -e, e.g., dhabdhabe jāmā (pure white shirt), kuckuce cul (jet black hair), ṭakṭake raṅ (dark red color), ghuṭghuṭe andhakār (pitch darkness).

6.4. Reduplication of Verbs

There are two kinds of verb reduplication in the modern Bengali language: 1. Finite Verbs, 2. Non-Finite Verbs.

Reduplication of Finite Verbs:

1) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form without the addition of any suffix or marker, e.g., cal cal (walk), dhar dhar (catch), bal bal (say), dekh dekh (see), etc.

2) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of the third person present tense marker -e, e.g., kare kare (does), bale bale (says), cale cale (runs), dhare dhare (catches), etc.

3) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of the third person past tense marker -la, e.g., karla karla (did), śunla śunla (heard), dekhla dekhla (saw), balla balla (said), etc.

4) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of past tense marker -le, e.g., karle karle (did), śunle śunle (heard), dekhle dekhle (saw), balle balle (said), etc.

5) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of the sent person past tense marker -ile, e.g., karile karile (did), śunile śunile (heard), dekhile dekhile (saw), balile balile (said), etc.

6) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of the first person future tense marker -ba, e.g., śunba śunba (will hear), dekhba dekhba (will see), bhābba bhābba (will think), etc.

7) The root is duplicated. Both words are identical in form with the addition of the second/third person future tense marker -be, e.g., śunbe śunbe (will hear), dekhbe dekhbe (will see), balbe balbe (will say), etc.

8) The first word is a verb root, while the second word is an echo form of the first word, e.g., khāy dāy “eats and does other things”, āse ṭāse (comes rarely), śone ṭone (listens almost carelessly), dekhe ṭekhe (sees casually), etc.

6.5. Reduplication of Non-Finite Verbs

1) The root is duplicated. Both the members are identical in form with the addition of the marker -e, e.g., bale bale (saying), cale cale (walking), dhare dhare (catching), dekhe dekhe (seeing), etc.

2) The root is duplicated. Both the members are identical in form with the addition of the marker -te, e.g., śunte śunte (hearing), dekhte dekhte (seeing), bhābte bhābte (thinking), calte calte (walking), etc.

3) The root is duplicated. Both the members are similar in form with the addition of the marker -iyā, e.g., śuniyā śuniyā (hearing), dekiyā dekhiyā (seeing), baliyā baliyā (saying), caliyā caliyā (walking), etc.

4) The root is duplicated. Both the members are identical in form with the addition of the marker -ite, e.g., śunite śunite (hearing), dekhite dekhite (seeing), bhābite bhābite (thinking), calite calite (walking), etc.

5) The root is duplicated. Both the members are identical in form addition to the marker -iye, e.g., dekhiye dekhiye (showing to others), śuniye śuniye (making others hear), kheliye kheliye (making others play), hāsiye hāsiye (making others laugh), etc.

6) The root is duplicated. Both members are identical in form with the addition of the marker -le, e.g., karle karle (having done), śunle śunle (having heard), dekhle dekhle (having seen), balle balle (having said), etc.

7) The first word is a verb root inflected with the marker -e, while the second word is an exact echo of the first word. The second word also uses the same marker as the first word, e.g., kheye deye (eating and doing other things), luṭe puṭe (plundering and doing other things), guṭiye suṭiye (folding and doing similar acts), etc.

6.6. Reduplication of Adverbs

Bengali adverbial forms are reduplicated in five different ways, as the following examples show:

1) An adverbial form is duplicated in which both are free forms without any marker or suffix, such as kakhano kakhano (sometimes), ŷeman ŷeman (as it is), haṭhāŧ haṭhāŧ (suddenly), bār bār (repeatedly), ekā ekā (alone), etc.

2) The second member is a slightly modified form of the first member. While the first member has the ending -ā tagged to it, the second member has the ending -i attached to it, e.g., kholākhuli (openly), michāmichi (falsely), rātārāti (overnight), etc.

3) The second member is a slightly modified form of the first member. While the first member carries the ending -o, the second member carries the ending -i with it, e.g., mukhomukhi (face to face), piṭhopiṭhi (one after another in quick succession), puropuri (totally), etc.

4) The temporal noun is reduplicated to form an adverb in which both are free forms without any marker or suffix, such as roj roj (regularly), samay samay (at certain times), sakāl sakāl (early), etc.

5) A noun word is duplicated. Both forms have the marker -āy, e.g., belāy belāy (before time), māthāy māthāy (just up to the mark), kā͂ṭāy kā͂ṭāy (exactly on time), etc.

6) An adjective is reduplicated to form an adverb in which both are free forms without any marker or suffix, such as āste āste (slowly), pratham pratham (initially), jore jore (fast), dhīre dhīre (slowly), etc.

6.7. Reduplication of Postpositions

The most unique feature in the reduplication of postpositions in Bengali is that after the reduplication of a postposition, the final reduplicated form is no longer a postposition but an adverb. Alternatively, it may be said that an inflected noun is a postposition when used as a single word unit but is an adverb when used in reduplicated form, as the following examples show:

1) bāde bāde (without)

2) bhetare bhetare (within)

3) mājhe mājhe (sometimes)

4) saṅge saṅge (immediately)

Reduplication of Numerals

Reduplication may, as a rule, apply to all cardinals, although it is common especially in the case of ek (one) and śata (hundred), hājār (thousand), and lakṣa (lakh). The reduplication of cardinals conveys multiplicity and emphasis; the reduplication of the ordinal Pratham ‘first’ leads to lexicalization (the result is an adverb). As an example:

1) ek ek bāṛite das das jan.. (There are ten people in every house). (There are several houses and several tens of people).

2) tārpar eke-eke daś bachar yāy. (Then ten years passed one after another).

3) ekṭā-ekṭā kare pākā nonā chĩṛte kono dvidhā nei tār. (He is not reluctant at all to pick ripe custard apples one by one).

4) śata śata lok (hundreds of people).

6.8. Reduplication of Indeclinables

It is not true that all indeclinables are reduplicated or are open for this type of usage in the language, as most of the indeclinables are never found to be reduplicated in the corpus. However, a few indeclinables are sometimes reduplicated in the text to express various senses such as liking, disliking, hesitation, appreciation, repetition, and doubt, as in kintu kintu, (but but) māne mane, (what what) ār ār, (or or) bā bā, (joy joy) etc.

7. Conclusion

Reduplication plays a significant role in the morphology and expressive capacity of the Modern Bengali language. It involves the repetition of sounds, syllables, or entire words to convey nuanced meanings, intensify descriptions, or create rhythmic effects. In everyday communication, literature, and cultural expressions, reduplication enriches the language by emphasizing emotions, actions, or qualities. This linguistic feature highlights the adaptability and creativity inherent in Bengali, preserving traditional elements while accommodating contemporary linguistic evolution. Overall, reduplication remains a vibrant and essential part of Modern Bengali's linguistic identity.

Abbreviations

RB	Reduplication in Bengali
ML	Modern Bengali Language
RD	Reduplication
TRD	Total Reduplication
PRD	Partial Reduplication
SRD	Semantic Reduplication
FRD	Functional Reduplication
L1	First Language
L2	Second Language
BGS	Bengali Grammar Structure
COL	Colloquial Usage
STD	Standard Bengali
MWE	Multi-Word Expression
POS	Part of Speech
LEX	Lexical Item
PHON	Phonological
MORPH	Morphological
SEM	Semantic

Conflicts of Interest

The author (Mumtahhina Khatun) declares no conflicts of interest related to the research, writing, or publication of this article. All findings and interpretations are based solely on academic inquiry and linguistic analysis.

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Khatun, M. (2026). Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language. Innovation Education, 1(2), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11

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Khatun, M. Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language. Innov. Educ. 2026, 1(2), 75-82. doi: 10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11

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Khatun M. Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language. Innov Educ. 2026;1(2):75-82. doi: 10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11

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@article{10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11,
  author = {Mumtahhina Khatun},
  title = {Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language},
  journal = {Innovation Education},
  volume = {1},
  number = {2},
  pages = {75-82},
  doi = {10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.iedu.20260102.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the phenomenon of reduplication in modern Bengali, focusing on its structural diversity, functional roles, and linguistic constraints. Reduplication, defined as the repetition of a linguistic unit—ranging from phonemes to entire utterances—is a key component in identifying multiword expressions (MWEs) and plays a significant role in Bengali morphology and syntax. The research categorizes reduplication into two broad types: one based on linguistic purposes and the other on grammatical functions. The first category includes morphological, lexical, semantic, onomatopoeic, correlative, inflected, and phonological reduplication. These forms contribute to word formation, semantic enrichment, and stylistic variation. The second category examines total reduplication—both pure and superadded—across various grammatical classes, including adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables. This type of reduplication primarily serves to express multiplicity, intensity, and emphasis, often transforming the syntactic or semantic properties of the original word. Findings suggest that reduplication in Bengali is not merely ornamental but a productive linguistic process that can generate new lexical items and even shift word classes. By analyzing these patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of Bengali grammar and the dynamic nature of its expressive resources.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language
AU  - Mumtahhina Khatun
Y1  - 2026/02/26
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
T2  - Innovation Education
JF  - Innovation Education
JO  - Innovation Education
SP  - 75
EP  - 82
PB  - Science Publishing Group
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
AB  - This study examines the phenomenon of reduplication in modern Bengali, focusing on its structural diversity, functional roles, and linguistic constraints. Reduplication, defined as the repetition of a linguistic unit—ranging from phonemes to entire utterances—is a key component in identifying multiword expressions (MWEs) and plays a significant role in Bengali morphology and syntax. The research categorizes reduplication into two broad types: one based on linguistic purposes and the other on grammatical functions. The first category includes morphological, lexical, semantic, onomatopoeic, correlative, inflected, and phonological reduplication. These forms contribute to word formation, semantic enrichment, and stylistic variation. The second category examines total reduplication—both pure and superadded—across various grammatical classes, including adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables. This type of reduplication primarily serves to express multiplicity, intensity, and emphasis, often transforming the syntactic or semantic properties of the original word. Findings suggest that reduplication in Bengali is not merely ornamental but a productive linguistic process that can generate new lexical items and even shift word classes. By analyzing these patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of Bengali grammar and the dynamic nature of its expressive resources.
VL  - 1
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Mumtahhina Khatun

Student of Post-Graduate in General Linguistics, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

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http://orcid.org/0009-0002-4837-3239

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Khatun M. Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language. Innov Educ. 2026;1(2):75-82. doi: 10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11

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@article{10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11,
  author = {Mumtahhina Khatun},
  title = {Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language},
  journal = {Innovation Education},
  volume = {1},
  number = {2},
  pages = {75-82},
  doi = {10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.iedu.20260102.11},
  abstract = {This study examines the phenomenon of reduplication in modern Bengali, focusing on its structural diversity, functional roles, and linguistic constraints. Reduplication, defined as the repetition of a linguistic unit—ranging from phonemes to entire utterances—is a key component in identifying multiword expressions (MWEs) and plays a significant role in Bengali morphology and syntax. The research categorizes reduplication into two broad types: one based on linguistic purposes and the other on grammatical functions. The first category includes morphological, lexical, semantic, onomatopoeic, correlative, inflected, and phonological reduplication. These forms contribute to word formation, semantic enrichment, and stylistic variation. The second category examines total reduplication—both pure and superadded—across various grammatical classes, including adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables. This type of reduplication primarily serves to express multiplicity, intensity, and emphasis, often transforming the syntactic or semantic properties of the original word. Findings suggest that reduplication in Bengali is not merely ornamental but a productive linguistic process that can generate new lexical items and even shift word classes. By analyzing these patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of Bengali grammar and the dynamic nature of its expressive resources.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reduplication in the Modern Bengali Language
AU  - Mumtahhina Khatun
Y1  - 2026/02/26
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
T2  - Innovation Education
JF  - Innovation Education
JO  - Innovation Education
SP  - 75
EP  - 82
PB  - Science Publishing Group
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.iedu.20260102.11
AB  - This study examines the phenomenon of reduplication in modern Bengali, focusing on its structural diversity, functional roles, and linguistic constraints. Reduplication, defined as the repetition of a linguistic unit—ranging from phonemes to entire utterances—is a key component in identifying multiword expressions (MWEs) and plays a significant role in Bengali morphology and syntax. The research categorizes reduplication into two broad types: one based on linguistic purposes and the other on grammatical functions. The first category includes morphological, lexical, semantic, onomatopoeic, correlative, inflected, and phonological reduplication. These forms contribute to word formation, semantic enrichment, and stylistic variation. The second category examines total reduplication—both pure and superadded—across various grammatical classes, including adjectives, nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adverbs, postpositions, and indeclinables. This type of reduplication primarily serves to express multiplicity, intensity, and emphasis, often transforming the syntactic or semantic properties of the original word. Findings suggest that reduplication in Bengali is not merely ornamental but a productive linguistic process that can generate new lexical items and even shift word classes. By analyzing these patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of Bengali grammar and the dynamic nature of its expressive resources.
VL  - 1
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download