21
Sep
2017
The Rule of Ablautreduplication
Why `tock-tick’ does not sound right to your ears.
Ever wondered why we say :
tick-tock, not tock-tick,
or ding-dong,
not dong ding;
King Kong,
not Kong King…?
Turns out it is one of the unwritten rules of English that native speakers know without knowing.
The rule, explains a BBC article, is: