Reduplication: this is a general grammatical term to describe a process whereby a word, or part of a word, is repeated either exactly or with some spelling change; in English we see examples of this in “bye-bye” [exact reduplication], “flip-flop” [vowel change], and “helter-skelter” [rhyming]. English does not use reduplication in grammatical constructions except in emphasis e.g. “I would never ever do that”.
In Latin reduplication occurs, albeit in a limited way:
[i] with some verbs
canō (I sing) > cecinī (I sang)
crēdō (I believe) > credidī (I believed)
currō (I fall) > cucurrī (I fell)
discō
dō (I give) > dedī (I gave)
fallō (I deceive) > fefellī (I deceived)
tangō (I touch) > tetigī (I touched)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Latin_reduplicative_verbs
[ii] certain pronouns to create emphasis, the first two being rare:
mēmē: myself
tētē: yourself
sēsē: him / her / itself / themselves
[iii] Full or partial reduplication also occurs in creating certain indefinites:
quisquis; quidquid / quicquid: whoever; whatever
Since the word is a repetition, both parts decline, but, in practice, only the nominative forms are commonly found as well as:
quōquō: to wherever / to whatever place
quotquot: however many
Look out for: quamquam, a reduplicated form like quisquis and quicquid which, possibly, originally had an indefinite idea but specifically means although and is a conjunction, not an indefinite
Purely out of interest: 7000 miles from Rome, another language does exactly the same …
Malay: siapa (who) > siapa-siapa (whoever); La: quisquis
Malay: apa (what) > apa-apa (whatever); La: quidquid / quicquid
Malay: ke mana (to where) > ke mana-mana (to wherever); La: quōquō
Malay takes it much further, but the same indefinite idea is conveyed:
jalan (go; walk) > jalan-jalan (walk about)
The language can also reduplicate words in the same way as the Latin verbs in [i] above:
berapa (how much) > beberapa (several)
Sanskrit is an Indo-European language that uses reduplication, and the language did influence Malay in terms of vocabulary e.g. raja (king), istana (palace). However, Malay is an Austronesian language and reduplication was a feature long before any contact with Sanskrit. Therefore, it appears coincidental that Latin and Malay – from completely different language groups – share the same features with the same underlying purposes and ideas.
Examples:
Quisquis es, quidquid tibi nōmen est, senex, summum Iovem deōsque dō testēs (Plautus) │ Whoever you are, whatever your name is, old gentleman, I call Heaven and God on high to witness
pūrās sibi esse volt aedis: domī quidquid habet, ēicitur (Plautus) │ He wants his house to be pure: whatever he has at home is thrown out
Hoc quidem hercle, quōquō ībō, mēcum erit (Plautus) │ This, indeed, by Hercules, wherever I will go, will be with me
Quia certum est mihi, quasi umbra, quōquō tū ībis, tē semper sequī (Plautus) │ Because I have made up my mind always to follow you, like a shadow, wherever you go.
Quotquot autem recēpērunt eum dedit eīs potestātem (Vulgate) │ but as many as / however many received him, he gave them power …
From: Lux Optata Claruit (13th century)
Quicquid fuit mysticum testāmentō veterī │ Whatever was mystical (mysterious; symbolic) in the Old Testament
Quicquid fuit typicum Moysēs et cēterī │ Whatever was typical (about) Moses and the rest of them
Two indefinites in the same sentence:
illīs perit quidquid datur, neque ipsīs appāret quicquam (Plautus) │ Whatever is given to them is lost, and they themselves don’t have anything to show for it [ = nor does anything appear to them themselves]
