Iconic Coding of Conceptualization: Hakka Reduplicative Constructions

Previous studies on the meaning of reduplication have proposed plausible accounts of the relatedness among various senses associated with it. The iconicity principle is often acclaimed as the motivation behind this process. However, reduplication can be associated with senses such as intensification and attenuation that are inconsistent with each other. The latter even seriously challenges the iconicity principle. To resolve this fundamental problem, this study, using Hakka reduplicative constructions as illustration, has the following claims. First of all, it is argued that iconicity indeed works for reduplication, conforming and non-conforming senses included. Crucially, it is demonstrated that reduplication is among an array of linguistic expressions along a scale, which increases their extensiveness. For the purpose of communication, a reduplicative form, just like other linguistic expressions, is a strategy for the speaker to manifest his conceptualization of the world. Next, it is maintained that the seemingly inconsistent senses—particularly intensification and attenuation—can be resolved when the use of reduplication is taken into consideration. The senses associated with a reduplicative form can be explicitly elucidated once a larger linguistic context is examined at the same time. Essentially, the background knowledge assumed by the speaker will bring forward the best interpretation of a reduplicative form when suitable. In sum, the study not only gives a systematic and thorough investigation into Hakka reduplicative constructions in particular but also attests to the fact that iconic coding of a speaker’s conceptualization is the key motivation behind such a linguistic strategy.