It is worth dwelling on this definition, which repeats in a different form what has already been said and is well known to everyone from the example of “butter oil”.
You can see a lot of similar expressions in our speech.
But, approaching this question, we will immediately make a reservation: there is a hidden tautology and an explicit tautology. Hidden - or so long ago - rethought and firmly established in our speech that it cannot cause any objections (“black ink”, “red paint”), or is noticeable only to a few, because it is associated with foreign words, not known to everyone.
Here are examples of hidden tautology based on foreign words:
“Pro forma” (“about form”) means “for form” in Latin. Meanwhile, it is always said “for form”, that is, “for form”.
“En face” - in French means “in the face” (as opposed to the concepts of “in profile” and “three-quarters”). However, we again always say “from the front”; that is "V in face".
"Serenata" means "evening song" in Italian. Thus, when we say “evening serenade,” we are essentially saying “evening evening song.”
This same series includes “exhibits of an exhibition” (after all, “exhibit” in Latin means “displayed”).
But such expressions as: “memorable souvenirs”, “free vacancy” (“a occupied” vacancy is no longer a “vacancy”, like a “filled” emptiness is no longer a “emptiness”!), “one’s own autobiography”, “biography of life” , “monumental monument” (we will return to this phrase later), as well as many expressions so beloved by speakers, such as: “full right”, “me personally”, “entirely and completely” - this is already an obvious tautology!..
The vernacular adds: “in vain” and “in half”, although it is completely enough to say “in vain” and “in half”...
Special mention should be made of the extremely common expression “today.” This expression, undoubtedly born (not so long ago) in the depths of the offices, despite its obvious incorrectness, is not only widely used in our colloquial speech, but is found in periodicals.
“Today” means “this day”, “this day”. If we can say “yesterday” and “tomorrow” about “yesterday” and “tomorrow,” then it is wrong to say “today”: this cumbersome phrase fits perfectly into the word “today.”
Therefore, instead of the clerical and bureaucratic “for today”, we should say “for today”...
Tautology is a word of Greek origin that literally means “the same word.”
- This is the repetition in a series of a word that has the same lexical meaning. Such repetition is considered unfounded, as it is not informative. Tautology is almost always a speech error and should be gotten rid of and used as little as possible in speech.
Tautology as a term is found in logic and denotes a true concept that remains so, regardless of what subject, object or area we are talking about. This is a logically vicious circle when they try to explain one of the concepts through the same concept (“Two plus two is equal or not equal to zero” or “A house is a house”).
Using the same word is considered a very serious mistake. This kind of error occurs these days, unfortunately, quite often. Example: “with the mobile operator Beeline it is always difficult to reach a live operator” or “when leaving home, don’t forget your keys at home.”
Tautology in artistic speech.
The only exceptions are literary poetic and prose texts, when the tautology is designed to enhance speech expressiveness, this is the so-called rhetorical tautology:
- old old man
- fall down
- climb up
- minute of time.
Tautology is often used in literature; examples of it are found not only in prose, but also in poetry.
An example of a tautology:
“Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and other gentlemen asked me to write everything I knew about Treasure Island.” They want me to tell the whole story, from the very beginning to the end" (D. Stevenson)
Tautology as a technique is very often used in oral folk art, which is characterized by a love of detail and lexical repetition, both to attract the attention of listeners and readers, and to give a special melodiousness to the folk style and its musicality. This technique is often found in genres such as
- spells,
- prayers,
- conspiracies,
where repetition of some kind is the guarantor of the result.
Examples of author's tautology.
Many authors widely use this technique to create folk color. Often found in the works of A. S. Pushkin (“The guests came ashore, Tsar Saltan invites them to visit”), in the poems of M. Yu. Lermontov (“For everything, for everything I thank you”).
Often, to convey the inner state of a romantic hero and his emotions, authors use tautology. So, for example, from Balmont:
“I caught the departing shadows in my dreams,
“The fading shadows of the fading day.
“I climbed the tower, and the steps trembled,
“And the steps shook under my feet.”
Tautology (Greek tautología, from tautó - the same and lógos - word)
1) repetition of the same or similar words in meaning, for example, “clearer than clear,” “cries, filled with tears.” In poetic speech, especially in oral folk art, T. is used to enhance the emotional impact. For example, in the epic about Nightingale the Robber: “Near Chernigov the strong people are black and black, Black and black, blacker than a crow.” Poets often use T. and tautological rhymes, for example A. S. Pushkin: “The guests came ashore, Tsar Saltan invites them to visit.” Some tautological phrases are widely used in colloquial speech, for example “entirely and completely”, “to this day”, “day-to-day”. Sometimes unnecessary repetitions in speech indicate the speaker’s poor language. T. - a variety of Pleonasm a .
T.V. Ventzel. 2) In logic - an extreme case of the logical error “anticipation of the basis” (lat. petitio principii), namely: when something is determined or proven by the same thing (lat. idem per idem). In two-valued classical logic, the term “T.” is used along with the term Logical Law to designate generally valid, always-true or identically-true formulas that are invariant to the actual content (values) of the variables included in them, that is, to the actual “state of affairs” in the world. Therefore, in this logic, following G.V. Leibniz ,
T. are called truths “in all possible worlds” or “eternal truths”, “necessary truths”, truths by virtue of the postulates of classical logic, etc. An example of such a T. can be a formula expressing the excluded third principle (See: Excluded third principle). In multi-valued logic (See Multi-valued logic), formulas are called formulas that, for any set of the accepted “generalized” system of variable values, retain the same selected (marked) value. T. in this sense are used, in particular, in proofs of independence (See Independence). Lit.: Wittgenstein L., Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, trans. from German, M., 1958; Church A., Introduction to Mathematical Logic, trans. from English, vol. 1, M., 1960. M. M. Novoselov.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
Synonyms:See what “Tautology” is in other dictionaries:
Tautology... Spelling dictionary-reference book
- (Greek tautologéō “I say the same thing”) a term of ancient stylistics denoting the repetition of unambiguous or the same words. Ancient stylistics subsumes the verbosity of speech under three concepts: perissology - the accumulation of words of the same meaning, for example ... Literary encyclopedia
- (Greek, from tauto the same, and logos the word). Expressing the same idea with different meaning words; unnecessary repetition in others of expressions that have already been said before. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910.… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
In ordinary language: repeating what has already been said. For example: “A table is a table.” T. is meaningless and empty, it does not carry any information, and people try to get rid of it as unnecessary ballast, cluttering up speech and making communication difficult.... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Tautology: Tautology (rhetoric) (from other Greek ταυτολογία) is a rhetorical figure, which is a repetition of the same or similar words. Tautology (logic) is an identically true statement, invariant... ... Wikipedia
Repetition, error, butter, statement, circle, judgment Dictionary of Russian synonyms. tautology oil (colloquial) Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011… Synonym dictionary
Tautology- Tautology ♦ Tautologie A judgment that is always true - either because the predicate only repeats the subject (“God is God”), or because it remains valid regardless of its content and even regardless of the true meaning... ... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary
Tautology- TAUTOLOGY repetition of the same words, expressions, etc., as, for example, in the epic about the Nightingale the Robber: Near Chernigov, the strength is black, black, as black as a crow. Tautology is an extremely common technique in the so-called ... Dictionary of literary terms
tautology- and, f. tautologie f. 1. Repeated designation of an already named concept with a word or expression that does not clarify the meaning of the expressed concept (used as a stylistic device). BAS 1. If one common place is not enough, then let’s get down to the tautology of this... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
- (from the Greek tauto is the same and logos word), meaningful redundancy of a statement, manifested in the combination or repetition of the same or similar words in meaning (true truth, entirely and completely); can intensify emotional... Modern encyclopedia
- (from the Greek tauto the same and logos word) ..1) combination or repetition of the same or similar words (true truth, entirely and completely, clearer than clear)2)] Explicit circle in definition, proof and etc. (lat. idem per idem that ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
The concept of tautology has been familiar since school days. Then the teachers, without further explanation, argued that it should be avoided at all costs, since it was ugly and sounded wrong. That is why many, answering the question of what a tautology is, give an example like oil.
In fact, the term does not always indicate gross flaws in speech; it can be used as a literary device and enliven speech.
The term appeared in Ancient Greece. In ancient times, the Greeks called this the situation when the same thing was said.
What a tautology is in modern times is another question.
This term means the repetition of cognate words in a certain sentence or part of the text.
This expression is found not only in literature and linguistics, but also in philosophy.
In philosophical logic, for example, the term denotes an expression that will remain true in any situation.
Repetition of words with the same root, similar in morphemes and even meaning - this is what tautology usually means. More often, its use is unjustified - the conversation turns out ugly and difficult to understand.
It is better to remove words that have the same root and are similar in lexical meaning - this will make it easier to perceive the text and the sentence will be shorter.
Take note! The use of repetition is not always superfluous - it can serve to express greater expressiveness. This means that their use in literature is justified.
Examples of tautology
Examples will demonstrate what a tautology is. From a linguistic point of view, expressions are justified, for example:
- the cold weather has come;
- in the hell of shame and shame.
Although they contain repetitions of words of the same root and similar in meaning, this does not disfigure the literature, but, on the contrary, makes it brighter and makes it clear what was meant.
At the same time, the use of the notorious butter oil is linguistically inappropriate. Examples:
- an incident happened;
- pay salary.
They do not require additional words in conjunction, since they independently characterize the situation quite well.
Tautology on Wikipedia is defined in two categories: rhetoric and logic.
In rhetoric, as Wikipedia writes, the term means the repetition of the same words that are similar in sound and meaning.
Can be used as a literary device to further persuade the listener. In logic, this term denotes a statement that will be invariant, that is, truthful, relative to the meanings of its components.
Tautology in Russian is defined using rhetorical and logical figures of speech. Pleonism has a similar meaning - the presence of redundancy in speech.
The definitions are not identical, since pleonism characterizes the appearance of redundancy within one statement, while it can concern a larger gap.
In the Russian language, it is not always possible to avoid lexical repetitions, especially when it comes to a literary work.
In this case, the authors no longer have to think about whether this is a tautology, but look for possible ways out of the current situation: select, use paraphrasing.
Verbal redundancy is an error in spoken language.
It does not carry information and clogs up the conversation, making communication difficult.
However, in journalism, the definition of tautology is justified, since it can serve to express expressiveness, create an image, and enhance sound.
Take note! In folk art, especially Slavic, the technique was used very often, giving a special expressive coloring to songs, ditties, and poems.
Use in language
The total number of vowels is five, the stress is the second o. Often many, answering the question of how a tautology is written, answer that the second consonant is f, apparently by inertia thinking that this is so because of the Latin origin of the word, which is replete with this letter.
Tautology in fiction, especially of Slavic peoples, is widespread. This is explained by the fact that there are many adjectives, participles and gerunds.
Wanting to give speech more expressiveness to describe verbs and nouns, they are used, and as a result of this, repetitions are obtained.
If in prose the technique is used to create expressiveness, image, and attract the reader’s attention to a certain phrase, then in the genre of poetry the technique allows you to create an uplifting effect.
Having examined the basic definitions of this technique, we can come to the conclusion that its use in rhetoric, logic, and literature is justified in some cases.
At the same time, it should be avoided in ordinary conversational speech.
What a tautology is is determined through the culture of speech and business communication. According to MIT terminology, repetition of words that are similar in meaning and sound should be used extremely rarely and in cases where it is fully justified by the situation.
Otherwise, the use of redundant words burdens the conversation, making it illiterate and incorrect.
Examples of use are often found in literature, both in prose and poetry.
Conscious literary tautology is a justified technique.
With its help, you can achieve expressive expression and create the necessary image.
It is interesting in this regard that conscious is used to show the “illiteracy” of a certain character.
Since the use of words of the same root and similar meaning in colloquial speech is unacceptable, those who are not familiar with these rules, that is, uneducated people, do not attach importance to this.
Everyone has been familiar with the word “tautology” since school years. Too often, literature teachers (and not only them) shamed careless students who used expressions like “butter butter” in their essays or oral speech. So often that I remember it for the rest of my life. And the conviction has become firmly ingrained that tautologies must be avoided at all costs.
The term "tautology"
The term “tautology” came into Russian from antiquity. The ancient Greeks used the word tautologeo to describe the situation when “the same thing is said.” This is his literal translation.
In antiquity, perissology was also distinguished - the repetition of synonyms or other words of the same meaning; and macrology - the presence of unnecessary explanations in speech. Modern science does not share these concepts and calls each of them a tautology. So, what is a tautology? And is it true that it only points to gross flaws in speech? Can it be appropriate in the text and not harm it?
Tautology - definition and examples from a linguistic point of view
This term is used by linguists to mean the repetition of the same words, words of the same root or similar in meaning, as well as expressions. For example: “Give back my books, my favorite books...”. Or: “The cold weather has arrived.” Or: “It is better to remain poor than to burn later in the hell of shame and shame.”
From the above examples it is clear that tautology is not always superfluous. And indeed it is. There are many cases that prove the justification and even irreplaceability of the use of tautology.
But more often, of course, it disfigures speech, making it illiterate and ugly. “Butter oil”, “pay a fee”, “an accident happened”, etc. Such and similar expressions sound quite bad...
When a tautology is justified
Most likely, in the old days, ordinary people in Rus' did not know and did not know what a tautology was. But they actively used in their speech situations that can be defined by this term. Take, for example, the most popular folk “prelude”: “The fairy tale will soon be told, but the deed will not be done soon.” It has survived to this day and is perceived quite organically.
Unlike their unenlightened ancestors, the Russian classics probably knew what a tautology was. But they also sometimes loved to insert some kind of repetition into their immortal creation. Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Balmont, and many other literary “bisons” dabbled in this.
And the point is not at all that everything is forgiven to geniuses. In fact, sometimes there’s nowhere without a tautology. For example, in an example such as “Make jam”, it is not advisable to replace any of the words with others. Because you need to cook it (not fry it, don’t bake it or stew it) and it’s the jam (and not jam or marmalade). In the phrase “Falls down,” a tautology is needed to enhance the meaning. And in the expression “A wolf is a wolf” is necessary to emphasize the truth of the statement and the absurdity of any doubts about it.
Tautology in logic
The last of the above examples of the use of tautology is on the border of literature and logic, which, by the way, also actively uses this term in its arsenal.
What is a tautology from a logical point of view? This is an identically true statement. The same example, or similar ones: “Home is home,” “mother is mother,” “mine is mine,” are a good illustration in this case.
Tautologies are also sometimes used to formulate logical laws. For example: “Four divided by two is two or not two?”, “Is zero equal to zero or not equal to zero?”, “Is it raining or not?”.
From all of the above, we can conclude that a tautology is not always a “weed”. It can also be a cultivated “plant”. If you use it carefully and competently, and not simply due to a vocabulary deficit, then it can look quite organic in the text.