echolalia

From echo +‎ -lalia; Latin ēchō from Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ, “reflected sound, echo”), and -lalia from Ancient Greek λαλιά (laliá, “talk, chat”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɛkə(ʊ)ˈleɪlɪə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɛkoʊˈleɪliə/
• Rhymes: -eɪliə

echolalia (countable and uncountable, plural echolalias)

1. (clinical psychology, autism) The involuntary repetitive echoing of words or phrases spoken by another person; either immediate or delayed.
   • 1984, Jon Eisenson, Aphasia and related disorders in children, page 30:

     Their echolalic responses may be much more extensive than the single words or short phrases that are characteristic of normal echolalia. Thus, a pseudoverbal autistic child may respond to "Do you want a cookie, Jimmy?" with a replication of the very same words.

2. An infant's repetitive imitation of vocal sounds spoken by another person, occurring naturally during childhood development.
3. Any apparently meaningless, repetitious noises, especially voices.
   • 1926, F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Penguin, published 2000, page 50:

     There was the boom of a bass drum, and the voice of the orchestra leader rang out suddenly above the echolalia of the garden.

• “echolalia”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “echolalia”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Borrowed from French écholalie.

• IPA^(key): /ɛ.xɔˈla.lja/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alja
• Syllabification: e‧cho‧la‧lia

echolalia f

1. (clinical psychology) echolalia (immediate, involuntary, and repetitive echoing of words or phrases spoken by another)
2. (rhetoric, poetry) echolalia (stylistic device consisting of the repetition of identical or similar vocal groups solely in order to emphasise the rhythmic or melodic character of the text)

• echolalia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• echolalia in Polish dictionaries at PWN