Authors: Vicky Minz
Abstract: Reduplication in Nagpuri is a key linguistic and stylistic feature that plays a vital role in expressing semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic nuances. It involves the repetition of a whole word, part of a word, or specific sounds to convey a variety of meanings and functions. This study examines the structural patterns and semantic roles of reduplication in Nagpuri, particularly in verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs. Reduplication in Nagpuri is employed to indicate continuity, repetition, simultaneity, distributive plurality, imminence, desideration, generality, exclusiveness, intensity, and uncertainty. For example, constructions like “chalat-chalat”, “haste-haste”, and “piyas-piyas” simultaneously convey repeated action, gradual progression, and emotional or quantitative intensity. The study identifies distinct categories of reduplication in Nagpuri: distributive, exclusive, repetitive, continuous, reciprocal, simultaneity of action, and degree of manifestation. Each type serves a specific communicative and expressive function, allowing speakers to articulate subtle distinctions in action, emotion, or state. For instance, distributive forms reflect the spread of action across multiple agents while maintaining individual responsibility, whereas exclusive forms highlight limitation to a particular subject or object. Similarly, reduplication can indicate the imminence of an action or emphasize the intensity and degree of a phenomenon. Reduplication also enhances the expressive richness and cultural identity of Nagpuri, making everyday speech more vivid, nuanced, and emotionally resonant. It reflects not only the grammatical structure of the language but also the cognitive and sociocultural perspectives of its speakers. This study demonstrates that reduplication in Nagpuri is not merely a stylistic device but a core mechanism for semantic precision and pragmatic effectiveness, contributing to the language’s vibrancy and preserving its cultural heritage. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how reduplication functions both structurally and semantically, offering insights for comparative studies in South Asian linguistics and tribal language research.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18360545
