/sir-sir/: The Pragmatic and Cultural Functions of Reduplicated Expressions in Moroccan Arabic (Darija)

The study examines the pragmatic and cultural functions of reduplicated expressions in Moroccan Arabic (Darija), highlighting their role as both linguistic devices and cultural artifacts. Drawing on a mixed corpus of spontaneous speech, media discourse, and oral heritage texts, the analysis categorizes reduplicated forms into six functional domains: commands, affirmation, temporal markers, emotional expressions, playful rhythms, and soothing directives. These forms intensify meaning, dramatize interaction, and embed rhythm into everyday communication, thereby sustaining continuity with Morocco’s oral traditions such as malhoun poetry, chants, and children’s rhymes. The findings demonstrate that repetition in Darija is not ornamental but integral to sociolinguistic identity, serving as a marker of expressiveness, immediacy, and cultural cohesion. By linking everyday speech to oral heritage, reduplicated expressions emerge as vehicles of cultural transmission across generations, reinforcing Moroccan identity through rhythm, orality, and shared communicative practices.