Lexical Cloning: Definition and Examples

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“Do you like him like him, or do you just like him?” In one of the most poignant scenes in the 1990s TV series Wonder Years, Kevin Arnold rants in typical teenage passion, demanding to know what’s up with his childhood idol Winnie Cooper and the school heartthrob. 

The use of duplicated words like this that carries a whole different connotation is common in American English, and is known as lexical cloning. 

What is Lexical Cloning? 

In formal, academic language, lexical cloning is also known as contrastive focus reduplication. Other terms include identical constituent compounding, and contrastive reduplication. Simply put, it refers to the multiple use of a lexical term so that it functions as a modifier. 

The modifier receives an accent, called a contrastive intonational stress, to emphasize the contrast and bring focus on it, so that it emphasizes a different sense. 

This phenomenon occurs in almost all types of English, but it’s most common in American English. We encounter it mostly in informal conversation rather than in formal business or written language. 

Main function of lexical clones

Largely dependent on context, lexical cloning normally works to refer to a specific denotation. The three main types of lexical cloning are as follows: 

  • Prototypical meaning
  • Intensifying of value-adding meaning, and
  • Literal meaning 

For example, when someone uses the expression, “I’m dead,” we know that it doesn’t literally mean that they’ve physically died. So when we hear someone described as “dead,” we may want to clarify, “Do you mean dead dead?” to refer to the physical act of actually passing away instead of just the expression to mean that someone is in trouble. 

Examples of lexical cloning

Here are some examples to help you understand lexical cloning better: 

Example #1. Distinguishing between different kinds of the same item 

Marge is hosting a dinner for her friends, and Beth comes early to help. They take out ingredients from the fridge, and Marge goes, “You can help me make the chicken salad. I’ll take care of the salad salad.” 

In this scenario, we deduce that Marge is making at least two types of salad. The first one is chicken salad. By using the lexical clone salad, she specifies that the second type is the “real” salad, most likely referring to all-green salad. 

Example #2. Defining the boundaries of the action 

Little Calvin bounces into his parents’ room at 5:00A.M. on Christmas Day. 

“Merry Christmas! Get up, Dad, let’s open our presents!” 

Dad groans, cranks one eye open, and mumbles, “I’m up.” 

“But you’re not up up,” Calvin protests, pulling at his Dad’s arm. “C’mon, get up and let’s go down to the tree!” 

Here we can see that Calvin has a different definition of “up” as his dad, and he specifies it by using the duplicate term. 

Example #3. Differentiating degrees of effort 

Finals are in a couple of days. The whole university is buzzing with students getting in last-minute cramming. It’s do or die! 

Justin saunters into his friends’ dorm room whistling a tune, and Bob looks up quizzically. “Are you done? I’m still stuck on physics.” 

Justin shrugs nonchalantly. “Sure I’ve studied, but I didn’t really study study. You know me, I’ll just wing it,” he says with a grin.  

In this example, we can see that Justin has a different definition of what it means to study, and he specifies this varying degree of effort by using lexical cloning. 

Example #4. An example in a foreign language 

The German language does not have a word that means specifically “boyfriend.” So it’s common to hear someone introducing a male friend and specifying, “He’s my friend, but not my friend friend,” which means that second person is not the first one’s boyfriend. 

Example #5. Specifying another item 

John and Clarissa are invited to dinner at a friend’s house. Having grown up in Asia, they’re both used to dinner being a sit-down meal with rice and a meat dish. Their hosts come from a different culture. When they arrive at their friends’ house, they’re surprised to find the table laden with chips and dip and nothing else. Everyone is having fun, so they don’t say anything and smilingly eat their chips, too. 

An hour later, John whispers to Clarissa, “Come on, let’s get going and get some food food.” 

In this example, it’s not that they didn’t get any “food” at their friends’ dinner; it’s just that they have a different definition of what constitutes real “food” for dinner. 

Example #6. Distinguishing adjectives and adverbs 

Melissa and Joane are sitting at a bar. Melissa has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend Sam, who has recently come back from out of town, and is now drowning her woes in a cocktail.

“Sam’s here,” Joane suddenly says. 

“Yes, I know, I told you, he’s back from New York,” Melissan responds. 

Joane shakes her head. “No, I mean, he’s here here,” she hisses under her breath. 

Here in the example, we see that Joane’s first use of the word “here” could be misconstrued as meaning a general “here,” referring to his being back from out of town. Using the lexical clone helps us understand that she means that Sam was actually right there in the same bar. 

Using Lexical Cloning

Lexical cloning is an effective tool to use in informal conversations, both in real life as well as in creative writing, such as in short stories, novels, and screenplays. It lets you have a play with words while also specifying double meanings and clarifying exactly what you are referring to. 

If you’re not used to using lexical cloning, read up on the examples above and try your hand at using words in a similar way until you get the hang of it! It may not be easy easy, but it’s easy! 

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