Functions of Reduplication in Seychelles Creole

This article examines the semantic functions of reduplication in Seychelles Creole (SC), two decades since the publication of the sole paper on the subject (Bollée, 2003). Although reduplication is attested with a variety of meanings and forms cross-linguistically, it is largely associated with its prototypical (iconic) function of intensification. In SC, reduplication encodes iconic and non-iconic properties. According to the Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures (hereafter, APiCS), its predominant function in SC is that of attenuation, which is non-iconic. Whilst creole languages are thought to possess predictable and transparent morphology, some studies have challenged this view. Reduplication in SC can generate unpredictable and lexically opaque forms via derivation. This paper also explores adjectival reduplication as a pragmatic device (negative politeness strategy). There is a paucity of research ascribing pragmatic functions to reduplication; in creole languages, this correlation appears to be unattested. To confirm the presupposition that adjectival reduplication functions as a hedge, a panel of SC experts were surveyed. This study yielded interesting results: adjectival reduplication appears to be motivated by systemic factors underpinned by pragmatic motivations.