The Rule of Ablautreduplication

The Rule of Ablautreduplication

Why `tock-tick' does not sound right to your ears.

Ever wondered why we say :

tick-tock, not tock-tick, 

or  ding-dong, 

not dong ding; 

King Kong, 

not Kong King...? 

Turns out it is one of the unwritten rules of English that native speakers know without knowing.

The rule, explains a BBC article, is:

 "If there are three words then the order has to go...

I, A, O. 

If there are two words then the first is I and the second is either A or O."

Mish-mash, 

Chit-chat, 

Dilly-dally, 

hilly-shally ,

Tip-top,

Hip-hop, 

Flip-flop, 

Tic-tac, 

Sing-song, 

Ding-dong,

King Kong, 

Ping-pong."

There's another unwritten rule at work in the name Little Red Riding Hood, says the article.

"Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: 

Opinion - Size - Age -Shape - Colour -Origin - Material -Purpose - Noun. 

So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife.

But if you mess with that word order in the slightest... you'll sound like a maniac."

That explains why we say "little green men" not "green little men,"

But "Big Bad Wolf " sounds like a gross violation of the "opinion (bad)-size (big) noun (wolf)" order. 

It won't, though, if you recall the first rule about the I-A-O order...!! 

Got it..?

That rule seems inviolable:

 "All four of a horse's feet make exactly the same sound.

 But we always, always say clip-clop, never clop-clip."

This rule even has a Technical Name...!

If you care to Know it...

the *Rule of Ablautreduplication.* ..!

But then...

Life is Simpler, Knowing that we Know the Rule... Without Knowing It...!

--

Best Regards,
Rahul
425-445-0827