When some dots turn a different color…: Thoughts on how (not) to determine whether or not reduplication is universal

This paper examines some of the problems which arise in connection with the question of whether or not reduplication is a language universal. The point of departure of the study is Moravcsik’s (1978) seminal paper on reduplicative constructions in cross-linguistic perspective. In the main body of the paper, the picture of the geo-linguistic distribution of reduplication that is painted in the World Atlas of Language Structures (Haspelmath et al. 2005) is critically evaluated. The results of the evaluation serve as background for the discussion of the current stalemate of opinions in the ongoing discussion of the supposed universality of reduplication. To resolve the impasse, a prototype-based approach is sketched which may allow us to recommence the collection of empirical data on an unprejudiced basis.