Rhyming reduplication

By William Roger Jones

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Mayor Dean Trantalis made an April 1 news announcement concerning the COVID-19 stricken cruise ship Zaandam in local waters. The passengers wished “to step off the ship and be able to return to their families” and the mayor wished to allow it. "But we cannot do it willy-nilly," he said.

The "willy-nilly" part of his interview caught my attention because I had not heard it for such a long time and wondered how many would understand that expression ― especially since most passengers were foreigners, and English would most probably be a second or third language to them. However, I suppose one could surmise the meaning.

The mayor's intended meaning was that if indeed disembarkation were allowed, it would not be done haphazardly without planning, organization or control. I've said all this to say that it gave me the idea to acquaint and submerge you once again with some of English's peculiarities, requiring, in some cases, a bit more clarity.

So, in the scientific study of language (linguistics), the mayor's expression is called rhyming reduplication (there are other types of reduplication). This type repeats the base first word (willy) by substituting its initial consonant with an alternative consonant (nilly), thus producing a rhyming sound. I describe the usual substitution for the creation, but there are other constructions for the making of them, e.g., okey-dokey (used to express assent), easy-peasy (meaning really easy), and phoney-baloney (meaning not genuine or real).

The peculiar slang compounds serve as a euphonious stylistic means of verbal art composed of playful melody and rhythm. Most arrived years ago. But one, “culture-vulture” (1945 original meaning: a person who avidly attends cultural events), has taken on recent pejorative meanings listed in the Urban Dictionary. I think some definitions are maladapted: "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean ― neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

Tommy James and the Shondells popularized "hanky-panky" in the 1960s garage rock song of same title that they released on their debut album. The repetitious lyrics, "My baby does the hanky-panky" referred to a suggestive dalliant dance. Today, the expression also has the additional meaning of questionable or mischievous activity. It also means foolish talk or action. Dong-A's Prime Dictionary of American English entry reads "dishonest behavior, usually related to sex or corruption: All sorts of hanky-panky are going on in that company."

Also in the summer of 1960, 16-year-old teen idol Brian Hyland released a novelty bubblegum pop song titled “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini.” In that era, bikinis were still seen as risque attire. However, the public's response to the humoresque composition prompted a sudden sharp increase in bikini sales and became a contributor to its acceptance by society.

Already, you are familiar with the unique participation dance-song “Hokie Pokie” (or Hokey Pokey). Its origin is British and to this day, the Virginia Tech (VPI) marching band does the routine at every football game!

Here are several spirited examples of “seasoning that salts and peppers language” (Kauffman) that you may be interested in: handy-dandy, killer-diller, boogie-woogie, shilly-shally, hocus-pocus, razzle-dazzle, super-duper, walkie-talkie (remember the movie “Parasite”?), heebie-jeebies, namby-pamby, mumbo-jumbo, lovey-dovey, fuddy-duddy, roly-poly, pell-mell, holy-moly, fender-bender (1962), palsy-walsy, yoo-hoo, hodge-podge, and Tex-Mex, etc.

For clear and plain readable references, see Paul Rastall's or Charles Kauffman's works. And, if you really want to get into it academically, you may see Andrzej Kollataj's “Reduplication in English Rhyming Slang” or Iwona Piechnik's “Reduplicative Syllables in Romance Languages.”

Oh, by the way, Fort Lauderdale continues to attract several thousand young visitors although it has passed its heyday for spring breakers; the new generations have found other hotspots for their hanky-panky.

The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) teaches English as a second language and is a chemistry lab coordinator and research technician at Virginia State University.