Negative Sunnis Are Not Very Positive

Quote:   “If the Sunnis do not support the constitution, that would be very negative.”  American Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad

Figure of Speech:   tautology (taw TAH low gee), the redundant figure

“Negative” means “bad” in diplomatese.  If the Sunnis say no to the draft Iraq constitution, that would certainly be negative.  But since “no” and “negative” mean the same thing, the ambassador commits a tautology—repeating the same thought in different words. 

“Free gift.”  “New innovation.”  “Violent battle.”  All around, we’re surrounded by tautologies.  (Sorry.)  Yogi Berra turned the figure into an unconscious art form:  “You can learn a lot just by observing.”  Most of the time, though, the tautology is a pair of twins (whoops!) who are too close for comfort.

The writing on the Iraqi flag, by the way, means “God is great.”  Which, arguably, qualifies as a tautology.

Snappy Answer:   “And if we don’t pull out of Iraq, we’ll still be there.”

Got a snappier answer?  Email Figaro.

Comments

[Simon Giles]

would 'uncommonly rare' qualify as a tautology?

[Figaro]

That depends on whom you ask, but since you asked Figaro, the answer is no. It's a mere redundancy. A true tautology has logic chasing its own tail: it uses the conclusion to prove the conclusion.

Fig.

[niceoboe]

actually twins come in more than pears... now what kind of rhetorical device did I just use? or did I even just use one?

[niceoboe]

well now that I think about it that would be a pointless/nonsensical pun...

[David]

"Safe haven" is a tautological phrase that I'm aware of, and detest, but what about "potentially dangerous"? If something has the potential to harm then it's dangerous. So what does "potentially dangerous" mean?

[Jay]

Currently now.....................first initial reaction..........................unthaw the food...............advanced warning................true fact..........................very first...................and finally, "plus, as an extra added bonus, a free gift at no charge to you!".

[Keith]

How about 100% Perfect? It couldn't be less than 100% surely?

[the jar]

Alice to Bob: Truth be told...
Bob to Alice: Tell the truth
Alice to Bob: I just did.

[Guest]

I disagree. You presume beforehand that supporting the constitution is Good. That is a political choice, not an inherent meaning of the wording. Say, if the topic were a war (which is not Good per se, I assume), not a constitution, the Ambassador would still add information, not speaking a tautology.

About "God is great": the words do not mean the same, so no tautology at all there. Or maybe it is, in another way. Like when defining: "2 plus 2 is 4". That is when we *need* a tautology! My dictionary *only* has tautologies.