Shm reduplication
The Shm reduplication , also Schm reduplication , is a form of reduplication in the English language , in which the original word is repeated, orthographically beginning with a preceding shm- (pronunciation: 'schm' [ʃm]), which is sometimes also schm - is written. The construction is generally used to express irony, ridicule or skepticism about the object being discussed. Example:
- He's just a baby!
- Baby shmaby. He's already 5 years old!
- He's still a baby!
- What a baby, he's already 5 years old!
The construction seems to come from Yiddish and was then translated into English by Yiddish speakers, especially the American English of the cities in the northeastern United States. Nowadays it is also used and understood by many speakers who do not speak Yiddish themselves.
Phonological properties
- For words that begin with a single consonant, this is usually replaced by shm- (e.g. table-shmable).
- For words that begin with a consonant connection, some speakers replace only the first consonant (breakfast shmreakfast) if possible, while others replace all initial consonants (breakfast shmeakfast).
- For words that begin with a vowel, shm- is added to the beginning of the reduplicated word (apple shmapple).
- Some speakers do not modify the first syllable of the word, but rather modify the syllable with the main stress (incredible inshmedible). In the case of some of these speakers, the part of the word which precedes the stressed syllable is also omitted (incredible shmedible; cf. Spitzer 1952).
- The shm reduplication is generally avoided or changed for words that already begin with shm- . For example, the reduplication of "jewelry" does not lead to the expected "jewelry jewelry", but, if it is not generally avoided, to such forms as "jewelry shluck", "jewelry fluck" etc.
- Many speakers use sm- instead of shm- for words that already contain a sh (Ashmont Smashmont, not: Shmashmont).
- Further phonological details were found in an online survey by Bert Vaux and Andrew Nevins, which is linked below.
bibliography
- Lilian Feinsilver: On Yiddish Shm- . In: American Speech 36 , 1961, pp. 302-303.
- Andrew Nevins and Bert Vaux: Metalinguistic, Shmetalinguistic: The Phonology of Shm-reduplication . In: The Proceedings of the 39th Chicago Linguistics Society , 2003.
- Mark Southern: Contagious Couplings: Transmission of Expressives in Yiddish Echo Phrases. Praeger, Westport, CT and London 2005.
- Leo Spitzer : Confusion Shmooshun . In: Journal of English and Germanic Philology 51 , 1952, pp. 226-233.