mumbling
ぶつぶつ言う
解説 Definition
mumbling は mumble（ぶつぶつ言う、もごもご話す）の現在分詞・動名詞です。声が小さかったり不明瞭だったりして、聞き取りにくい話し方を表します。
Mumbling is the present-participle or gerund form of mumble. It refers to speaking in a low, unclear way so that the words are difficult for other people to hear or understand.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
原形 mumble「もごもご話す」の語末の黙字 e を落として -ing を付けた現在分詞・動名詞で、mumbling となります。発音でも語幹の /mʌmbəl/ は保たれます。mumbling an answer や mumbling something のように、声が小さく発音も不明瞭で聞き取りにくい場面を思い浮かべましょう。
Start with the base verb mumble, meaning to speak too quietly or indistinctly. To form mumbling, drop the final silent e and add -ing; the pronunciation of the base remains recognizable. Picture someone mumbling an answer, mumbling during a presentation, or walking away while mumbling something. The key is not simply low volume: the words are also unclear. Murmuring can sound soft and gentle, while mumbling often suggests poor articulation or reluctance to speak clearly.
例文
He was mumbling his answer, so I asked him to speak up.
彼は答えをもごもご言っていたので、私はもっと大きな声で話すよう頼みました。
The student kept mumbling during the presentation.
その学生は発表中ずっとぶつぶつ話していました。
She walked away, mumbling something about the schedule.
彼女は予定について何かぶつぶつ言いながら立ち去りました。
mumbling の類義語・関連語
mumbling の語源・成り立ち Etymology
「mumble」＋接尾辞「-ing」からなり、元は唇を動かして小さく話す音を真似た中英語の擬態語です。不明瞭な発音そのものを言葉にしたため、そのまま「ぶつぶつ言う」の意味に繋がります。同系統の語に「murmur（そっと言う）」があります。
Mumbling is formed from mumble by dropping its final silent e and adding the participial suffix -ing. Mumble is recorded in Middle English and belongs to a group of expressive words that imitate or suggest indistinct movement of the lips and unclear speech. Its sound pattern supports its meaning, but it cannot be divided into older elements with separate lexical meanings. Murmur is similar in sense but has a different history.
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