A point of grammar

[sarnig60]

What is the grammaticalaterm for when you state something doubly, such as 'he was killed to death' or 'he lit the branches on fire'. Not oxymoron, but something similar?

[Lakitu]

Tautology.

[nightmare]

Or is it pleonasm ?

Come on, Quizmonster, set us straight. I can never remember the distinction between the two.

[barmy]

a pleonasm is where the word is unnecessary such as "repeat that again"

These are tautologisms, words having the same meaning though the difference is very slight.

[Quizmonster]

Well, Nightmare, when I saw tautology there this morning, I was perfectly happy with it.
In Fowler's Modern English Usage, tautology is defined as "the repetition in the immediate context of the same word or phrase, or of the same idea or statement in other words." It comes from the Greek word meaning 'the repeating of what has been said'
In the same source, pleonasms are defined as "grammatical constructions that contain an element or elements of redundancy." It comes from the Greek word meaning 'added superfluously'.

Both seem to fit pretty well with 'He lit the branches on fire." It's my view that, in circumstances like these, there is no significant difference; indeed, they are virtually synonymous. Perhaps an expert in the conventions of classical rhetoric might be able to separate them, but I really can't!
Either might be used deliberately, of course, for effect. Think of Coleridge's ancient mariner...
"Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide, wide sea!"
Wonderfully tautological...or pleonastic, of course!

[sarnig60]

Well - I'm impressed! thank you for a most interesting debate, Quizmonster and Nightmare. It was my son who was asking the question - I didn't tell him I didn't know and have to admit to not admitting that it was NOT me that came up with the answer. This is his reply to me:

Thanks for that...

It was tautology I was trying to think of! But pleonasm is a new one on me - perhaps more appropriate.

I didn't realise that tautology could also be used for those wonderful all inclusive statements, like the sign outside a club that states "members and non-members only".

Some common pleonasms I found online...

free gift
tuna fish
hot water heater
safe haven
PIN number
HIV virus
forward planning
gather together

And some excellent foreign language tautologies...

Sierra Nevada mountain range (Snowy Mountain Range Mountain Range)
Sahara Desert (Deserts Desert)
Gobi Desert (Desert Desert)
Cheese Quesadilla (Cheese cheesy thing)
Mississipi River (Great River River)
Lake Tahoe (Lake Lake)
Faroe Islands (Sheep Island Islands)
It's d�j� vu all over again.

And I know it's an oxymoron, but nothing beats the pub staple of vegetarian chile con carne.

[A.Guest]

On that point - what would TSB Bank be?

[jno]

you sometimes hear Lake Windermere too, a mere being a lake. I imagine 'deja vu all over again' is a deliberate joke, though.

[Naomicorlett]

I heard that TSB stands for thick scouse b***ch. But I could not possibly comment on that.

[fredpuli47]

And the River Avon is ' the River River' .

[espookid]

Got me thinking now so what is it when you say two opposite meanings e.g.
to spread out in a bunch