Gibberish is a word that describes language or speech that is unintelligible or incomprehensible. It is spelled "gibberish" with a soft "g" sound followed by a short "i" sound, followed by a voiced "b" sound, then a soft "e" sound, and finally a voiced "r" sound and a short "i" sound. In IPA phonetic transcription, gibberish is written as /ˈdʒɪbərɪʃ/. This word comes from the Middle English word "gibberen," meaning to speak inarticulately, and the suffix "-ish," indicating character or resemblance.
Gibberish is a noun that refers to speech or writing that is nonsensical and difficult to understand. It typically consists of a jumble of words, phrases, or sounds that lack coherence or meaningful content. The term is often used to describe language that appears to be nonsense or unintelligible, often due to its rapid delivery or bizarre structure.
In its essence, gibberish is characterized by its lack of clarity, making it impossible to comprehend its intended meaning or purpose. It may result from a speaker's inability to express themselves clearly or concisely, or from intentionally using nonsense words or phrases to confuse or deceive others. Gibberish can also arise as a linguistic phenomenon when people, especially young children, experiment with language and produce nonsensical babbling.
The term "gibberish" is commonly used in various contexts, including literature, comedy, and everyday conversation. In literature, authors may employ gibberish to create a sense of confusion or disorder in a story. Comedians often use gibberish as a comedic device to evoke laughter from the audience. Additionally, people may casually refer to incoherent or muddled speech as gibberish, especially when encountering someone who is speaking or writing in an incomprehensible manner.
• Unmeaning words; unintelligible language.
• Canting; unintelligible.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "gibberish" originated from the late 16th century and is believed to have been derived from the Irish word "gibber". "Gibber" means quick and meaningless talk or chatter. Over time, "gibber" evolved to "gibberish" and came to refer specifically to speech or writing that is unintelligible, incomprehensible, or nonsensical.