Mumbling is when a speaker deliberately utters words with little regard for intelligibility, confusing the listener. It can be used to avoid giving information, express personal opinions, or due to speech impediments or lack of confidence. While generally discouraged in formal speech, it can be effective in certain situations.
Effective speech often requires the speaker to pronounce each syllable carefully and distinctly. Listeners can forgive an occasional mispronunciation or dropped syllable, but prefer to receive intelligible speech whenever possible. When a speaker chooses to mumble his words in an indistinct tone, the confusing effect on the listener is known as mumbling. To mumble one’s words is to deliberately utter words with little regard for intelligibility.
Sometimes a person may choose to mumble to confuse the listener. When a parent asks a child about the contents of a report card, for example, the child may choose to mumble an unintelligible response. The hope is that the whispered answer appeases the questioner without actually revealing much tangible information. Others may mumble when they break bad news or when forced to make an embarrassing or incriminating confession. The listener may ask for a repetition of the mumbled part, but may also interpret the jumbled words in a more positive way.
Others may choose to mumble because they want to express a personal opinion without being completely offensive. They may speak clearly at first to communicate an official response, but then mumble a softer response under their breath. Because a mumble is so incomprehensible, the listener may have no idea that the speaker is actually muttering an epithet or sarcastic response.
Some episodes of mumbling may indicate a speech impediment or a lack of self-confidence on the part of the speaker. The speaker may have every intention of speaking clearly, but the words are swallowed or slurred in his mouth before delivery. A person may also mumble whenever they are called upon to make an unexpected speech in public. It is not uncommon for a person to mumble during a routine recitation of a sensitive engagement or reading, especially if it is otherwise inaudible to most of the audience.
While the deliberate act of mumbling is generally discouraged in formal speech, there are times when a well-timed mumbling can be effective. Some people like to mumble their answers when asked personal questions about their age or weight, for example. Others find it cathartic to mumble a cynical or sarcastic response out of reach of the listener. Sometimes a well-timed mumbling can speak volumes.
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