palilalia

British  

/ ˌpælɪˈleɪlɪə /

noun

1. a speech disorder in which a word or phrase is rapidly repeated

---

Etymology

Origin of palilalia

C20: from Greek palin again + lalein to babble

Explanation

Palilalia is a disorder that causes a person to speak very rapidly, repeating words over and over again. Sometimes palilalia can be a symptom of Alzheimer's disease. The speech condition known as palilalia can sound at first like a stutter — it causes a speaker to involuntarily repeat words, syllables, or even whole phrases. It's also similar to echolalia, a disorder in which a speaker repeats other people's words. But while echolalia tends to make no logical sense, palilalia is correct speech that's repeated automatically. The Greek roots of palilalia are pálin, "again," and laliá, "to speak."

Example Sentences

But then they developed an exaggeration of the many little ticks, foibles and palilalia – the repetition of phrases – that had afflicted them in a muted way during this long-term torporous state.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2012