Day 185-- on tautology
Friday, March 09, 2007
Tautology is a form of rhetoric that really interests me. A tautology is a use of redundant language in writing or speech--I'm often guilty of this (for years I had said "ATM machine"!). It's interesting stuff, nevertheless, but I haven't decided if this grips me because I like language or solely because I want to sound smart.
So, here are some tautologies.
-ATM machine (automatic teller machine machine...it seems that some folks call tautologies in acronyms "RAS syndrome"...redundant acronym syndrome...this cracks me up!)
-chai tea (tea tea)
-free gift
-pizza pie (pie pie...this makes me giggle!)
-PIN number (personal identification number number)
-ISBN number (I encounter this often with books...international standard book number number)
-future plans
-I personally... (I'm pretty guilty of this!)
-...so I think in my head... (as opposed to thinking in my stomach?)
How about some ones that make you laugh, or that you notice often?
posted, with grace and poise, by Jason @ 3/09/2007 08:00:00 PM,
3 Comments:
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At 3:30 AM,
The Mad Fishicist said...
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shrimp scampi
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At 4:29 PM,
RVWarren said...
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Got to say, no matter how much I like tautology, I prefer double entendre.
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At 5:32 PM,
Angela said...
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"tuna fish" is one that enough people find acceptable so that it's even in the dictionary, but I just can't stand it. I mean, nobody says "trout fish" or "chicken bird," right? I think it's just a (social/personal) habit, like "PIN number" seems to be.
