Hi everybody
I understand the meaning of these verbs in English but I find it a bit difficult to differentiate them. Can they be synonyms in any given context?
Thank you in advance!
Posted by Ana laura · June 9, 2011 · 1 replies
Hi everybody
I understand the meaning of these verbs in English but I find it a bit difficult to differentiate them. Can they be synonyms in any given context?
Thank you in advance!
No.
Ramble means to talk at length and boringly without any real organisation or aim : He rambled on for hours about his experiences in the army. It was so boring.
It can also be used to describe the type of speech associated with delirium : By the time his temperature had reached 39°C, he was rambling deliriously.
Babble is used as a technical term in linguistics to describe babies' pre-speech vocalisations - the goo goo ga ga noises they make.
Babble can also be used to describe disjointed, confused speech affected by emotion - eg : He babbled on excitedly
It's also often used as a noun to describe speech which is too distant or overlapping to hear clearly : He could hear a babble of voices coming from the kitchen. and in various forms to describe multiple sounds in general : A babbling brookGabble means to talk very fast or confusedly so that it's difficult for people to understand : He gabbled something about meeting Mary and rushed out the door.
Jabber means to talk in continuation without saying anything very important : My son didn't speak at all till he was three, but then, within a couple of months, he was jabbering away all day.
So each is slightly different. Leaving out the technical use of babble I'd analyse them as :
ramble = + at length; - organisation; (possibly) + slow + boring; (possibly) + deliriously
babble (verb) = + confusion; + emotion ;
babble (noun/adjective) - comprehension; + multiple sounds
gabble = + speed; (possibly) + confusion/emotion; - comprehension.
jabber : + at length; - importance