Somebody who is cultured, please answer this for me :)

[felix]

K, I have gone through a couple lists of Japanese games.. What is with the double wording in games? Does it change or add to the word? Or do they just want to sound dumb?

Really though, is there a purpose?
I speak fluent Tagalog (filipino) and I know that doubling words sometimes adds empesis to what you are saying..

Edited: Sorry this was a little confusing.. Im talking about the double words in Japanese games..
EXAMPLES: DANCE DANCE revolution, Doki Doki etc..

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm not cultured, but yeah, looks like emphasis.

That or 1980s US culture hit Japan in the mid-90s (which, when I look at some of their boy bands...can't help but think that may be the case).

[vultar]

A lot of time is Japanese, a doubled up word is most likely an onimonipia, a word representing a sound if I didn't spell that right. There are two kinds, and they're fairly important in the Japanese language. The first kind represents a physical sound, like goro goro for big things rolling, and the second kind that represents feelings or otherwise intangible things, like pika pika for sparkeling. Doki Doki is, as far as I know, the word for something like heart pounding. It may be that when they double up non-onimonipia words they're trying to give the impression of one.

[poloplayr]

The easy explanation is that the japanese just think it sounds cool..however, in the instance of Doki Doki it is a type of word to express sounds (in this case heart beat)...I cannot remember the linguistic term for it but the japanese have LOADS of these words...for dripping water, tapping, etc, etc - and these are often written in pairs, just like 'doki doki'

[Haoie]

I think it was doki doki for heartbeat, I recall hearing it in a Tokimemo song. Yeah yeah. But a single doki will do.

But anyway, a lot of sounds in Japanese, when written, just don't sound as right as it could be. For example, a cat's meow is a 'nya', and a dog's bark is a 'wan'. If you read manga a lot, notice the sound effects drawn in the back.

Did you know the sound of a kiss is a 'chu'?

[ManciGames]

Did you know the sound of a kiss is a 'chu'?

Boy, that adds a whole new level of meaning to "Chu Chu Rocket."

[Sothy]

Probably residual background radiation from Fat man and Little boy.

[Damaramu]

IIRC, guru guru is used in reference to dizziness.

[rbudrick]

The "Dance Dance" is a little different. Musically words are repeated all the time for various reasons. I suppose it wouldn't be uncommon for a song to say imperatively, "Dance, Dance!"

As a side note some languages double up words for emphasis (often adjectives), basically translating as "very," or "much" in English.

-Rob