Redundancy

Many of these are now firmly in our vocabulary and there is nothing we can do about it. Several of these are active signs of idiocy or innocence. A few of these are so high-frequency that they have achieved pet-peeve status among language nerds. Unfortunately the creation of these lists is, in a way, teaching my students and the rest of the world how to annoy me.

Definition of Redundant

    1. Exceeding what is necessary or normal.
    2. Characterized by similarity or repetition.

Phrases and Names with Redundancy

    • Chai Tea (Tea Tea) - A flavored tea beverage brewing black tea with spices and herbs. Chai is derived from chá (茶) in Mandarin and also means tea is several other languages. Just say "Chai" instead.
    • Hula Dance (Polynesian Dance Dance) - A form of chant and dance popularized in Hawaii. Hula means "dance" in Hawaiian. Just say "hula" instead.
    • La Brea Tar Pits (The Tar Tar Pits) - The La Brea Tar pits are in Hancock Park, California. La Brea means "the tar" or "the tar pits" in Spanish.
    • Lake Chad (Lake Lake) - A major lake connected to Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria. Chad means "large expanse of water" i.e. "lake" in a language local to that part of Africa (would love to know the name of the language).
    • Lake Tahoe (Lake Lake) - A major lake between California and Nevada. Tahoe is derived from the word "dá’aw" meaning "The Lake" in Washo.
    • Los Angeles Angels (The Angels Angels) - A Major League Baseball team in Anaheim, California. Los Angeles means "the angels" in Spanish.
    • Master Roshi (Master Master) - A major character in Dragonball. Roshi means "old teacher" or "old master" in Japanese
    • Master Shifu (Master Master) - A major character in Kung Fu Panda. Shifu means "a skillful person" or "master" in Mandarin.
    • Medieval Times (The Middle Ages Times) - The Middle Ages were a historical time period from the 5th to the 15th century. Medieval derived from "medium aevum" means "middle age" in Latin. Either say "Middle Ages" or "Medieval" instead.
    • Mississippi River (Great River River) - A major river in the United States. Mississippi comes from "Messipi" in French derived from "Misi-ziibi" meaning "Great River" in American Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Algonquin)
    • Reiterate (To Say Repeatedly Again) - Both iterate and reiterate mean "to do repeatedly". Re- as a root means to do again.
    • Sahara Desert (The Greatest Desert Desert) - The Sahara is a large desert in Africa. Sahara means "the Greatest Desert" in Arabic. Just say "The Sahara" instead.
    • Sharia Law (Islamic Law Law) - Religious law based on Islam. Sharia means "law", "justice", or "religion" in Arabic. Just say "sharia" instead.
    • Simba (Lion the Lion) - The protagonist of Disney's The Lion King. Simba means "lion" in Swahili. What if he were asked his name and what he was in the same conversation? I wonder what Scar's name was before he got a scar.
    • Soviet Union (Council Union) - A major country from 1922 to 1991. Soviet means "council", "assembly", "advice", and "harmony" in Russian. Sovietnik means "councillor" in Russian. It is a group group.
    • Three Ring Circus (Three Ring Ring) - Acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and animal acts performing as a troupe. While circus is a word meaning the group of performers, originally a circus is literally a "circle" or "ring" in Latin from Greek.

RAS Syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome Syndrome) - Redundancy with Acronyms and Initialisms

    • ATM Machine (Automated/Automatic Teller Machine Machine)
    • DC Comics (Detective Comics Comics)
    • ER Room (Emergency Room Room)
    • FedEx Express (Federal Express Express) - Started out as Federal Express. Changed the company name in 2000 to FedEx Express making no sense at all.
    • GOP Party (Grand Old Party Party)
    • GPS System (Global Positioning System System)
    • HIV Virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Virus)
    • IRA Account (Individual Retirement Account Account)
    • ISBN Number (International Standard Book Number Number)
    • LCD Display (Liquid Crystal Display Display)
    • MSDS Sheet (Material Safety Data Sheet Sheet)
    • PDF Format (Portable Document Format Format)
    • PIN Number (Personal Identification Number Number)
    • Please RSVP (Please Respond Please) - RSVP translates to "Répondez s'il vous plaît" in French meaning "please respond" or "reply if you please."
    • RPG Game (Role Playing Game Game)
    • SAT Test (Scholastic Aptitude Test Test/Scholastic Assessment Test Test) - This is a special case! In 1997 the College Board announced that SAT no longer stood for anything. SAT is now a pseudo-acronym and there is no longer a problem saying "SAT Test."
    • VIN Number (Vehicle Identification Number Number)


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