Word repetitions in the Turkish language

© aNadventures

As I recently called my grandmother who lives in Colombia, I found myself speaking Spanish in a way that felt strangely unnatural: Sí sí, claro claro, bueno bueno…

It took me a moment to realize what was happening. I was speaking Spanish and yet embedding it into a Turkish structure.

Upon reflecting on it, I have noticed that repetitions are quite common in the Turkish way of expressing oneself.

Here are some examples:

Repetitions as a means of emphasis

A: Bizimle gelmek ister misin?

     (Would you like to come with us?)

B: Olur olur.

     (Alright (x2) [strongly agreeing].)

A: Neredesin?

     (Where are you?)

B: Geldim geldim.

     (I’m coming (x2) [literally: I came].)

Repetitions as adverbs

A: Yavaş yavaş çocuklar!

    (Be careful, kids! [literally: slowly slowly])

Z: Problemlerimizi tane tane çözeriz.

    (We’ll solve our problems one after the other.)

Repetitions to indicate time

A: Kim arıyor acaba gece gece?

    (Who might be calling this late at night? [literally: night night])

 

What’s characteristic of YOUR language or any other language you are learning? What are the funniest language mixes you have ever come up with?