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DEFINITION: v. To unconsciously adopt the vocal mannerisms and linguistic stylings of the people with whom you are speaking. n. A speaker who adopts the vocal mannerisms of their audience.
Verboticisms
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Vernaculitis
Created by: Sed8ed
Pronunciation: vern-ack-u-li-tis
Sentence: She suffered from a severe case of vernaculitis after living in the south for so many years.
Etymology:
Lingwisht
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: ling wisht
Sentence: When the hunky French Professor entered the classroom for the first time, his handsome face, charming mannerisms and infectious accent were found very attractive to all the female students. After listening to him lecture for a while, many in the class starting speaking with the same accent. One girl in particular, became seriously influenced by his Continental speech, developed a mad crush on Monsieur and became a lingwisht herself. Ah, no wonder French is a Romance language...
Etymology: Linguist (someone who studies the humanistic study of language and literature) & Wished (prefer to do something;hoped for;invoked upon)
Vernactitude
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: ver nakt itood
Sentence: My Mother has a vernactitude in communicating with others from different ethnic backgrounds. First of all she speaks slower and louder than normal (apparently in her mind this will help them understand her English words better). She uses far more hand language & gestures and throws in foreign words to better describe what she is trying to say. It matters not that the foreign words are not in the language of that person. She recently spoke to a Chinese waiter and after she slowly and loudly told him her order, ended it with "Capeesh,Garçon?"
Etymology: Vernacular (the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language);a characteristic language of a particular group) & Aptitude (inherent ability)
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COMMENTS:
Good for mum! - splendiction, 2009-10-06: 22:43:00
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Scameleon
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: skamēlyən
Sentence: A big part of the politician’s popularity is because he is a scameleon. Whatever group he is talking to is the group he is part of. If speaking to blue-collar workers, the sleeves are rolled up and the language a bit rough. A chat with business leaders prompts the three-piece suit and corresponding jargon. When pressed, followers can’t even specify what party he belongs to. He could be a liberal Republican or a moderate Democrat.
Etymology: scam (a dishonest scheme; a fraud) + chameleon (a small slow-moving Old World lizard with a prehensile tail, long extensible tongue, protruding eyes that rotate independently, and a highly developed ability to change color)
Osmolinguate
Created by: PythianHabenero
Pronunciation: osmo-LING-g(y)oo-ate
Sentence: My tendency to osmolinguate is one reason why I prefer to keep friends whose elocution I find pleasant.
Etymology: "Osmosis" + the lingu- word root, with help from "amalgamate".
Copychat
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: kop-ee-chat
Sentence: I don't want to say that Tom is feeble-minded but whenever he talks to anybody for more than a few minutes he ends up sounding just like them. This can be embarrassing when he talks to someone with a distinctive voice who thinks they are being mocked. Last week a woman with a pronounced stutter slapped him.
Etymology: copycat (a person or thing that copies, imitates, mimics, or follows the lead of another) + chat (to converse in a familiar or informal manner)
Dialectick
Created by: Nuwanda
Pronunciation: die-a-leck-tick
Sentence: For most of his life, Joe was able to avoid mishap caused by his dialectick. Growing up in Central Iowa, no one seemed to notice or care much when he affected the speech patterns of a Keokuk-ian or Des Moines-ite. But his dialectick did not serve him well when he got a job at the Starbucks across the street from U.N. headquarters. He was fired after two hours because of complaints that he was taunting the customers.
Etymology: Dialect (dialect n. A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech.) + tic (A habitual spasmodic muscular movement or contraction, usually of the face or extremities)
Idiolectate
Created by: Ahmad
Pronunciation: edeo-lektaet
Sentence: I have never seen such a perfect idiolectate like saim.
Etymology: idiolect = an individual way or style of talking. Imitate = to copy some one or something.so to copy some one's speech the way he/she speaks.
Mimaccent
Created by: erasmus
Pronunciation: mi mac sent
Sentence: Doris was terrible for putting on a mimaccent every time she spoke to someone. Even South Africans thought she was one of them until she said she came from Chawley.
Etymology: from mimic and accent
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by Osomatic.
Thank you Osomatic! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by Osomatic. Thank you Osomatic. ~ James