single word requests - Speaking for the sake of saying something


Is there a word or phrase that describes the act of saying something for the sake of it?



Answer



To bloviate, or "speak or discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner" is not exactly what you want, but it is a practice of those who "speak for the sake of saying something". Bloviate and bloviation have the right sound and connotations for speaking done for its own sake. Example: "His lexiphanic speech was a marvel of bloviation and bombast."


Previous answers have mentioned many words, but seem to have left out babble ("idle talk; senseless prattle; gabble; twaddle") and logorrhea ("an excessive and often uncontrollable flow of words" or "excessive talkativeness").


In an alternative interpretation to that required by the question, a speaker might speak because of liking how he or she sounds; this suggest the adjective euphonious ("pleasant-sounding; agreeable to the ear; possessing or demonstrating euphony") or noun euphony.


Another word unsuitable as an answer is sententious, although it has the look and sound of a word that ought to be appropriate. In fact it has in one sense the opposite meaning: "Using as few words as possible; pithy and concise." Another sense of it, "Tending to use aphorisms or maxims, especially given to trite moralizing" might actually be relevant; much speech at length is empty or trite moralizing.


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