Tautology is a literary device where you say the same thing twice by using the same words, synonyms, or near-synonymous terms. Depending on how you use it, it can either be seen as poetic license or needless repetition.
Tautologies are often used unknowingly though you can use them deliberately for a specific purpose.
What is a Tautology?
The word tautology comes from the Greek words tauto (meaning “same”) and logos (meaning “word” or “idea”). A tautology can mean a single word, a phrase, or even an entire paragraph that reiterates the same idea but in a different way.
Used well, it provides clarity and emphasis to a piece of text, or creating intentional ambiguity when needed. Used badly though, and it just adds unnecessary words that can confuse your audience.
Language Vs Logical Tautology
As stated above, a language tautology is a statement where words or an idea is repeated, only with different words. For example, the phrase “I lost it, so it’s gone.” is a language tautology. The fact that you lost it already means it is gone. Saying the latter is redundant.
A logical tautology is a statement that is always true regardless of the trueness of each of its parts. One example is the self-canceling phrase, “That dog is white or that dog is not white.” Since it includes both possibilities, then it is always true.
It’s important to know the difference between the two to avoid confusion.
Examples In Literature
Here are examples of tautology found in literature.
1. Annabelle Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
Apart from repeating the word “sea”, Poe also uses “sepulchre” and “tomb.” Both basically mean the same thing, a place of internment.
2. Sacred Emily by Gertrude Stein
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters.
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.
Page ages page ages page ages.
Wiped Wiped wire wire.
Stein uses tautology for two purposes here: to emphasize specific ideas and to create rhythm.
3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,
“Melt”, “thaw”, and “resolve itself into a dew” are synonyms that figuratively point to Hamlet’s desire for death.
4. The Hollow Men by T.S. Eliot
This is the way the world ends,
This is the way the world ends,
This is the way the world ends,
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Here, Eliot uses tautology to reinforce and draw the reader’s attention into the idea of how the world ends.
Examples in Everyday Speech
Here are some tautologies that can be found in everyday language
- ATM machine (Automated Teller Machine machine)
- EDM music (Electronic Dance Music music)
- RAS syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome)
- DC Comics (Detective Comics comics)
- VIP person (Very Important Person person)
- PIN number (Personal Identification Number number)
- All bachelors are unmarried men.
- In my opinion, I think…
- First and foremost
- You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
- In close proximity
- It is what it is
- If you know, you know
- More and more
- Short summary
- Repeat again
- Frozen ice
- Necessary requirement
- Return back
- Say it again once more.
- New innovation
- 3 am in the morning
- $100 dollars
- Chai tea (Chai is the Hindi word for tea)
- Bao buns (Bao means bun in Chinese)
Examples in Pop Culture
Below are tautological examples taken from music, film, tv shows, and other sources of pop culture.
- I want to live while I am alive — Bon Jovi, It’s My Life
- Only time will tell, if we stand the test of time — Van Halen, Why Can’t This Be Love
- She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah — The Beatles, She Loves You
- Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung-fu skills were the stuff of legend. — Kung Fu Panda
- With malice toward none, and with charity for all. — Abraham Lincoln
- They are simply going to have to score more points than the other team to win the game. — John Madden
- Smoking can kill you, and if you’ve been killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life. — Brook Shields
- Once there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end. — Patrick Star
Function of Tautology
People use tautology for a variety of reasons, the most common being as a poetic device. Because of its repetitive quality, you can draw attention to something specific and have it stick to your audience’s mind better.
It can also be used to create ambiguity in your text to provoke thought from your readers and make them analyze things on a deeper level.
However, tautology can be hard to use effectively. It can appear redundant, monotonous, and unclear, making you seem incompetent. This is the reason why a lot of writers use different ways of repetition instead, such as anaphora, epistrophe, and anadiplosis.
What are your favorite examples of tautology? Share them in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- Anaphora: How to Use Strategic Repetition in Writing
- Repetition in Writing and Rhetoric: 9 Types and Examples
- The Isocolon: How Parallels Improve Your Writing
- Synecdoche: Calling a Whole by Its Parts
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
