The first time I read the word “tautology” I thought that by the suffix “logy” it referred to the study of something. However, in the realm of language, tautology is not considered the study of anything more than the analysis of an element of writing. Specifically, the unnecessary repetition of a word. It is not that I can improve the definition of the three dictionaries that I use as a reference, but I think that the tautology is easier to understand if it refers to the modification of a word with another that implies the same thing.
The all-time classic is a phrase we hear every day.
“It’s exactly the same” is the most obvious case of tautology to which we are routinely exposed. Can there be the slightest difference between “equal” and “exact” in any context? Is there anything wrong with saying “It’s the same” when talking about something that is identical? However, those who write copy, particularly for newscasters, seem to enjoy telling us that something is exactly the same every time. Or is it the exact opposite, as if “exact” does something further opposite.
Tautology comes in many forms
Many people have written in the drafts of I was sent to edit that a character has looked up at the sky or down at the ground. Unless someone is an astronaut, is it possible to look up at the sky? How about on the ground? Just like looking up at the sky, it’s possible to create a scenario where a person is looking down at the ground, but it takes some work.
Tautology also creeps into our rhetoric in subtle ways.
An example I noticed in a dictionary was “widowed woman.” But what about the following examples: hurtful injury, unhappy frown, petty sneer, happy smile, joyous glee, and black darkness?
However, if a connotation is desired that goes beyond the accepted obvious implication of hurt, frown, sneer, smile, glee, and darkness, it is of course acceptable, if not desirable, to modify each noun. Mild wound, frown, sneer, brief smile, mild glee, and eerie darkness are more meaningful couplets due to the modifier.
Tautology is not limited to nouns
I recently read a line in which a photograph was enlarged. Could it be enlarged in another way? The same as reduced smaller or dropped. Yes, someone can theoretically fall down the stairs, but this is certainly not common enough to be accepted as an idiom, and it is what is acceptable for a language that largely determines tautology.
Ask yourself, am I saying the same thing?
Variety keeps the narrative fresh and starts by making sure we’re adding meaning to the nouns and verbs we’re modifying. When a writer pays attention to tautology, I usually find this author just as introspective in analyzing the central thoughts and making sure that these themes are not overly justified by the text that follows.
What if I’m not saying the same?
One final remark, and it involves making sure that something is really tautological. I was chided a while ago for using the verse “much more.” One erudite guy mentioned that an elementary school instructor of his, no less, said this phrase was redundant and therefore superfluous. I respected his comment and congratulated him on the good fortune of having such a precise teacher willing to share such good advice with such young children. But I ask anyone reading this article, would you rather have more in your paycheck next week, or would you rather have a lot more?