In 1799 a French military officer made a discovery in Egypt that would become a powerful tool for unlocking previously indecipherable language. He uncovered a large slab of black granite, inscribed in Egyptian and Greek, using three different writing systems: hieroglyphics, the Greek alphabet, and a cursive form of hieroglyphics.
The Rosetta Stone (named for the town near where it was discovered) was a major moment in archaeology because it provided a key for hieroglyphics, a language that was previously gibberish to Europeans.
The word “gibberish” refers to a few different types of miscommunication. It can be unintelligible speech, an unknown dialect, a highly technical way of speaking, or needlessly pretentious language. In its root verb form, “gibber” (or “jibber”) means “to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and often foolishly.” It’s imitative, meaning it comes from the sound it denotes. Essentially, calling someone’s speech “gibberish” means there’s a disconnect. A synonym, “jabber,” derives from Middle English. Morphologists think it could be an onomatopoeia, reflecting the sound of garbled speech.
We can trace the first use of “gibberish” back to the 16th-century English morality play Interlude of Youth, which followed an unnamed youth’s growth from irresponsible behavior to becoming a serious adult. “Gibberish” would have been an apt word to describe the foolish speech of youth.
Nowadays, “gibberish” is used more often in the context of nonsensical communication, both in speech and in evolving digital media. Someone might share a file that gets corrupted in the exchange, and the result is gibberish. Or try talking to a toddler — good luck understanding their gibberish. Communication has evolved since the days of the Rosetta Stone translations, but gibberish can still prevent messages from getting across.
More from our network
Word Smarts is part of Inbox Studio, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
