Ablaut Reduplication: Why 'tock Tick' Doesn't Sound Right?

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The rule of ablaut reduplication dictates the order of vowels and consonants in words that are repeated. The first word contains I, and the next word contains either A or O. If there are three words in question, then the first word contains I, the next contains A and the last word contains O. This rule is followed in many English words, such as “flip flop”, “tick tock”, and “hip hop”. It is believed that this rule might be related to the movement of your tongue or the ancient language of the Caucasus.

There are many words that we use in our daily language that seem alright when spoken in a particular way, but somewhat weird when said in the ‘wrong’ order. There are many examples of this, such as when we say that a watch “tick tocks” instead of “tock ticks”. Similarly, “flip flop” sounds right, but “flop flip” sounds wrong for some inexplicable reason. “Ping pong”, “dilly dally” and “hip hop” are a few other common examples. Even the name of the popular fictional beast is “King Kong”, rather than “Kong King”.

What would it be like if his name was “Kong King”?(Photo Credit : King Kong (2005 film)  / Universal Pictures)

Why is that? There is obviously no rule that says it must be “tick tock” instead of “tock tick”, right? Still, you’d observe this idiosyncrasy in every English-speaking country across the world. What’s the deal with this strange, unwritten rule?

Quite amazingly, there is actually a name for this uncanny phenomenon….

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