Garrulous is spelled with two Rs and two Ls but pronounced differently from how it looks. IPA phonetic transcription reveals that the first "r" in "garrulous" is pronounced as a voiced alveolar trill ("ɹ"), while the second "r" is pronounced as a voiced uvular approximant ("ʁ"). The first "l" is pronounced as a voiced lateral approximant ("l"), while the second "l" is silent. The word means excessively talkative, and its unusual spelling and pronunciation add to its impactful and expressive nature.
Garrulous is an adjective that describes a person who excessively talks or talks for a long period of time about trivial matters or unrelated topics. A garrulous individual tends to be voluble, talkative, and often verbose. This term may also refer to someone who speaks quickly and incessantly without allowing others to speak or interrupt.
A garrulous person often displays a strong desire to engage in conversation and monopolizes discussions, dominating the attention with their constant chatter. This behavior may manifest in various settings, such as social gatherings, work meetings, or everyday conversations. The verbosity of a garrulous individual usually leads to a lack of brevity and conciseness in their speech, making it difficult for others to interject or contribute to the conversation.
While garrulity can be seen as a positive trait in certain situations, such as storytelling or public speaking, it can also be perceived as a negative characteristic, particularly when it inhibits effective communication or prevents others from expressing their viewpoints. The term garrulous often implies that the person's excessive talkativeness is tedious, boring, or irritating to those around them. It is important to note that being garrulous doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of intelligence or substance in conversation, but rather an overwhelming quantity of speech with little relevance or significance to the matter at hand.
Talkative; chattering.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
The word "garrulous" ultimately originates from the Latin word "garrire", which means "to chatter" or "to prattle". In Latin, "garrire" was derived from the sound "garr", which imitates the noise of speech. From Latin, it passed into Old French as "garrire" and then into Middle English as "garulous". In both cases, the meaning remained essentially the same, referring to someone who talks excessively or is overly talkative.