Yammering and Jabbering

The terms yammering and jabbering came up recently in conversation. I guess that tells you what kind of conversations I have.

I’ve been accused of doing both which sent me off on a reverie about the difference. I think it is mostly quantity, quality and volume.

Since most of you are native English speakers, I assume you know that yammering represents a slightly elevated quantity of talking, and a slightly decreased quality in a conversational tone.

On the other hand, jabbering is a floodgate of trivial comments in a raised voice. We’re not talking pneumatic drill here (that would be yelling) but just slightly louder than appropriate. Some of us (by which I mean me) experience one or both of these when we are nervous or extremely happy.

When this happens, some people are irritated, some accepting and some are just baffled. Since I am a practitioner, I hardly notice it. For some it is a quality of life issue. For me, it’s just part of life.

Comments

[Robert E. Malchman]

And how does "gibbering" factor into this collection?