Speech has an important place in human life. With it, people communicate, share and receive information. Therefore, it is important that the speech is understandable to the interlocutor. Below we will consider such a phenomenon in the Russian language as tautology. Most often, this term is found in rhetoric and logic. What is a tautology?
In terms of rhetoric and logic
What is a tautology in terms of a science like rhetoric? In general, this term is of Greek origin, the translation of which means "repetition of the same." In rhetoric, tautology is understood as a rhetorical figure, which consists of cognate words.
It is also the use of words that come from other languages, but mean the same thing. Due to the fact that words have one meaning, it is undesirable to use such constructions in speech, because they do not carry any new information. Such designs can be used as a stylistic device, but there should not be too many of them.
What is a tautology in logic? The concept of this term is slightly different: it denotes an expression that is true. Most often, a tautology in logic occurs when a concept is explained using the same concept.
That is, the term itself is used in the explanation, and there is a repetition of the same words. But sometimes with the help of tautology the laws of logic are formulated. For example, "three divided by three equals three or not equals?" Therefore, in logic, tautology does not always “clog” speech.
Comparison with pleonasm
There is one term that resembles a tautology - this is pleonasm. Both of them indicate redundancy in speech. But what is the difference between tautology and pleonasm? Despite the similar importance, there are significant differences between them.
Pleonasm is the use in speech of words that have a similar lexical meaning within a single construction. For example, "The family went on vacation in the month of November." Most often, pleonasm can be found in folklore. But an important feature is that these words are not cognate in contrast to tautology.
A tautology is the use of words that have one root or are borrowed from other languages with the same meaning. It is difficult not to use lexical repetitions in speech, because not all words can be synonyms. Therefore, sometimes you have to use similar words.
How to avoid tautology in speech
Why is this phenomenon referred to as a “speech weed”? Because it does not provide any new information. Listening to speech and reading texts in which there are many repetitions is quite difficult. Therefore, to make it easier for you to convey information, you need to try to avoid frequent lexical repetitions.
The reason for the tautology is the low vocabulary. Therefore, reading fiction and classical literature increases your literacy level. You will also learn how to correctly use synonyms in speech due to the enrichment of vocabulary.
The following exercise will be useful - rephrasing sentences by selecting synonyms for words. If you find it difficult, you can use the dictionary. This way you can make your speech clean and literate.
Examples of lexical repetitions
Some repetitions of root words are so firmly entrenched in everyday speech that they are difficult to notice. An example of a tautology is the following expressions: "do business", "cook jam", "snow-white snow". They can be rephrased as follows: "do something," "make jam," "beautiful snow."
An example of a tautology when using words from other languages that have a similar meaning is the expression “evening serenade”. The word "serenade" is of Italian origin and means an evening song. Therefore, it is better to replace this word with "song".
Lexical repetitions in art speech
What is a tautology in fiction? Lexical repetitions as a stylistic device are often used by authors in order to make the text more expressive. Most often this is used in poetic speech.
Also, lexical repetition is found in prose and in folklore. This is used in order to focus the reader on any event or details.
An important question is the correct spelling: tautology or taftology? It is correct to write the word with the consonant "B", and pronounce it with emphasis on the third syllable.
A tautology is most often considered a speech error, because repetitions of the same do not carry any semantic load. Literature is an exception, and only when this repetition is needed to enhance the impression on the reader. You can make your speech more competent if you read more fiction.
The most difficult to control tautologies with borrowed words. The dictionary will help you with this. Thanks to this, you will not only increase your vocabulary, but also expand your horizons. Try to choose synonyms for words more often, and then your speech will become beautiful, understandable and competent.