Word salad
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| Said and done |
| Jargon, buzzwords, slogans |
“”The film is nothing more than the cart issues, wishes ramp and that lashbone, be hydrodash-tower, and cramp seven lash. Milbord zakt feebled-seven, tilsubatidemisemistupan.
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| —Terry Bruge-Hiplo, Movie Reviews[1] |
Word salad is a term applied to rants that completely fly off the rails of normal grammar and meaning.
Contents
Not your typical deli salad[edit]
The most obvious example, of course, is the Time Cube website. Many other people manage to diverge into what "looks like" a human language, but on deeper exploration (called "reading") proves to be utter nonsense.
Someone's rant may be called "word salad" if their beliefs are so extreme that their screed appears nonsensical to the average person. Incels and members of the autistic dark web are examples of people whose manifestos may be dubbed word salad.
Mental disorders[edit]
If a usually coherent person begins speaking in word salad, this is usually a sign they need to see a doctor, sometimes urgently. Word salad (schizophasia
) can be a sign of:[2]
- An oncoming stroke[3][4] (Call emergency services immediately)
- Schizophrenia
- Brain damage
- Aphasia
- Another potentially serious condition
Toxic word salads[edit]
"Word salad" can also colloquially refer to a type of gaslighting in which an abuser jumps rapidly from one topic to the next, making many accusations and moving on before the target can defend themselves.[5][6] The goal is to deflect, confuse, and silence. While this is frequently described as an issue in abusers who have narcissistic personality disorder, any abuser (regardless of diagnosis) is capable of doing this.
This is different from typical word salad because the abuser's misuse of language is strategic. They are using it to browbeat someone, not attempting to earnestly express themselves (or just goof off).
Just having fun[edit]
Word salad generators are sometimes written by beginning programmers for the sake of amusement.
Examples[edit]
- The pretty cods xerox crazy losers
- Her oozing leeks suffocate uptight bats
- My pimpalicious universitys curate belittling bazookas
- His dazzling lumbers affiliate loyal stool samples
- Their Chinese funeral directors burglarize belittling antibacterials
See also[edit]
- Argument by gibberish
- Bullshit
- Dennis Markuze
- Dr. Bronner's Soap
- Argumentum ad tl;dr
- Green ink
- Management speak
- Speaking in tongues
External links[edit]
- Philosopher Pulls a Sokal on Theology Conferences — Two theology conferences mistook this intentional word salad for serious theology, see duping theologians. For the meaning behind "pulling a Sokal", see our article on the Sokal affair.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuUM4rgcexA
- ↑ Word salad
- ↑ http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/WarningSigns/Stroke-Warning-Signs-and-Symptoms_UCM_308528_SubHomePage.jsp
- ↑ http://www.webmd.com/stroke/signs-of-stroke#1
- ↑ How to Deal With Narcissistic Word Salad - Cherilyn Christen Clough
- ↑ What is the "word salad" that narcissists often use during conversations? - Quora
