2022-07-27
13 分钟Coming up on Word Matters, when English repeats itself.
I'm Emily Brewster and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors Amon Shea,
Peter Sakalowski and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
A listener questions a tautology in one of our definitions and starts us off on a discussion of all types of repetition and redundancy.
We have a nice note from Leonard and it has a question.
The June 2nd word of the day defines the verb meld as to blend or mix together.
Then the two examples use that word with the word together.
Isn't to meld together a tautology?
Two of my favorite startling examples of a tautology are pin number and please RSVP.
Do you think tautologies should be avoided?
It's a great question.
Tautology we define as needless repetition of an idea statement or word or an instance of such repetition and within logic a specialized definition a statement that is true by virtue of of its logical form alone.
And it comes from the Latin word, which was from the Greek word.
So tautology essentially means in English today what it meant in Greek a couple thousand years ago.
Now the key there to me is needless repetition.
What does it mean for repetition to be needless?
I think that's an excellent point, Emily, because I don't have language peeps with the language.
I have language peeps with the peavers.
So when you hear omit needless words, what does that mean?