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Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2000 17:02:00 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: A.Word.A.Day--battology
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battology (buh-TOL-uh-jee) noun

   Wearisome repetition of words in speaking or writing.

[From Greek battologia (batt(os) stammerer + -o- + -logia -logy).]

   "The different forms and uses of repetition range from amplification to
   battology. The rhetorical features noted in this paper constitute some
   of the elements that infuse a powerful oratorical force in classical
   Kiswahili poetry, and repetition is, in addition, an important element
   in the oral-written interface."
   Kyallo Wadi Wamitila, A Rhetorical Study of Kiswahili Classical Poetry,
   Research in African Literatures, Apr 15, 1999.

This week's theme: words about words.

.............................................................................
Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies
solely in my tenacity. -Louis Pasteur, chemist and bacteriologist (1822-1895)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/battology.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/battology.ram