Which term describes the process of forming new words by copying the sound of the first word in the second?

Which term describes the process of forming new words by copying the sound of the first word in the second?

• A. Re-duplicatives
• B. Borrowings
• C. Neologisms
• D. Blends

Answer: (A)

Reduplicatives describe forming a new word by repeating all or part of a word, often with a small sound change. Copying the sound of the first word into the second is a classic reduplication pattern, producing terms like ding-dong, goody-goody, or mumbo-jumbo. This repetition adds emphasis, playfulness, or a particular nuance to the word. The other terms refer to different processes: borrowings are words taken from other languages, neologisms are newly coined words, and blends fuse parts of two words into one. So the process described is reduplication.