Siamese twins (linguistics)

The hallmark of twin formulas (also called binomial formulas or pair ) is a formulaic, common occurrence of two by " and" (or other Konjunktoren ) connected words in the form " A and B". The term "twin formula " is common, especially in folklore, while dominant in the historiography of legal language, the term " couple formula ".

Linguistic and rhetorical aspects

Twin formulas are expressions that occur always or predominantly as idioms. In the formation of twin formulas often rhetorical figures such as Oxymoron or pleonasm be used. Accordingly, the word components ( woe and misery fear and worry, way ) can semantically are a different relationship with each other and antonyms (up and down, good and bad, hot and cold, cat and mouse, Day and Night ), synonyms or identical ( hand in hand, little by little, step by step, side by side, train to train ) to be. Even merely associative compounds of similar concepts to more or less irreversible phrases ( pitch and sulfur, space and time, forest and meadow) are common.

Depending on whether the two verbal elements only along the real meaning of the expression (for instance going belongings for " possession " ), or are already in itself alone the same meaning as the entire expression have that as a whole fulfills a rhetorical amplification function ( for example, way), one speaks of a Hendiadyoin or a tautology. Many twin formulas contain poetic style elements such as alliterative like alliteration ( haywire, frank and free, commonplace, clearly, betrayed and sold), assonance ( give and take, rank and name ) or rhyme elements ( lies and deceit, riotously, slim and lean ) that allow them to directly for language users ( and linguistic layman ) as firmly established formula ( " saying " ) are identified.

In legal language pair formulas often take two closely related, but at least historically or formally distinctive concepts to a topos together ( the lump, shape and deadline, land, house and home, year and day, kith and kin, body and life, Weights and Measures, murder and manslaughter, status and class, good faith, and passed over to, knowledge and belief ).

Triplet and quadruplet formulas

Similarly, but less frequently, in the German language also triplets (eg, secretly, quietly or wine, women and song ) and occasionally also Vierling formulas (eg fresh, pious, happy and free ) formed. The frequency of such figures of speech is highly dependent on the rhythmic and structural peculiarities of the language. For example, in Chinese phraseological Vierling formations form a very strong group.