ABSTRACT
Doubling of initial syllables of a root or stem with or without a change in sound to express a morphosyntactic category, e.g. the formation of the perfect in a number of Indo-European verbs (Lat. tango-tetigī ‘I touch-I touched’; Goth. haitan-haíhait ‘to be called-was called’) or plural formation in Indonesian. In word formation, repetition of morphemes indicates a strengthening of the expression: Lat. quisquis ‘whoever,’ Eng. goody-goody.
