Saturday, September 14, 2013

Babel and Babble


In origin, Babel and babble have nothing to do with each other. Babble first appeared in English around 1250 and is probably an example of onomatopoeia. That is, the sound of the word babble mimics the "ba-ba" sounds repeated by children learning to speak--and perhaps also the sounds made by the flapping lips of talkative adults.

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