HYPERCRANIALOQUY

[Dr. Goodword]

• hypercranialoquy •

Pronunciation: hai-pêr -krayn-i-ah-lê-kwi • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, mass (no plural)

Meaning: Talking over the heads of others.

Notes: Puzzled expression on the faces of an audience is a true reflection of hypercranialoquy. Eyes looking upwards as the words fly past is another reliable indicator. Today's more or less Good Word is a distant cousin of dorsaloquy "talking behind someone's back", a word made up by Perry Dror in the Alpha Agora way back in 2010. It is in the same family as circumaloquy "talking in circles", a word I just made up to show how easy it is.

In Play: Talking is fast becoming a lost art in the US. We often talk past each other, over each other's heads, or behind each other's backs: "The inability of Congress to get the message suggests that the US electorate may be engaged in a kind of hypercranialoquy at the polls." Speeches are more likely than normal conversations to go over our heads: "I go to the lectures of Maude Lynn Dresser more to see her outfits than to listen to her hypercranialoquial lectures."

Word History: Today's Good Word is a triple compound made up of Greek hyper "super, over" + Latin cranium "cranium" + Latin loqui "to talk". It all makes sense, doesn't it? Hyper emerged in Latin as super and, since they were spelled differently, English borrowed both. We didn't need either, though, since both mean "over", a word that comes from the same source. Of course, today, hyper "overwrought, excited" and super "great" are discrete words in English, so we did take advantage of the redundancy. Latin cranium "head" came from the same source as cornus "horn", whose root is found in the one-horned mythical unicorn as well as the cornucopia "horn of plenty". (Today we thank Gail R. May for suggesting today's mythological Good Word and our old friend April Phule, for suggesting the concept. April 1 is a day of practical jokes and as a reward for reading this far, you are rewarded with a confession that today's Good Word is a hoax.)

[MTC]

Hilarious!

And while on the subject of urban legends (a topic in itself,)
I commend to you "hypocerebrolalia," (rare) a speech disorder characterized by the uncontrollable urge to speak beneath the intellectual abilities of one's audience; an intentional "dumbing down" of speech content. Popular politicians and "happy talk" T.V. news figures are frequently afflicted.

Etymology
As for its apocryphal origins, "hypocerebrolalia" was conceived and cobbled together after normal business hours from Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hypo-), combining form of ὑπό (hypó, “under”) 1816, "pertaining to the brain," from Fr. cérébral (16c.); from L. cerebrum "the brain" (also "the understanding"), from PIE *keres-, from base *ker- "top of the head." Meaning "intellectual, clever" is from 1929; and from -lalia, a combining form used in the formation of nouns denoting abnormal or disordered forms of speech from Neo-Latin < Greek laliá talking, chatter, equivalent to lal ( eîn ) to chatter, babble. All together, hypo-cerebro-lalia.

Example of usage:
In a paper entitled, "Hypocerebrolalia: the social costs," researchers estimated that on average, viewers of "Expo" and "Jersey Shore" suffered a temporary deficit of ten (10) full I.Q. points.

Related forms:
Adv. hypocerebrolalically
Adj. hypocerebrolalic

[scw1217]

I could have used this word to describe my Chemistry teacher in 11th grade. He was forever saying things that whizzed past us students, and for the most part, was greatly disliked!

[sardith]

You completely had me on this one, Dr. Goodword, because this is what I imagine that some people do~they construct words when they don't have one that suits them, and they try to make the word as difficult as possible to pronounce; the more syllables, the better.

Just a personal irritation, I guess, but that is why you TOTALLY got me on April Fool's Day!

Sardith

[Dr. Goodword]

Susan,

That's what April Fool's Day is all about. I hope you enjoyed my getting your goat. (Ever wonder why we say that?)

[Stargzer]

Cranial-rectal inversion may not be accepted by dictionaries, but it succintlydescribes someone who has his head "where the sun don't shine." People with an extreme case of this syndrome can suffer from tunnel vision caused by looking at life through their navel. It often affects those at the extremes of any of the various axes of the political spectrum.

It is saddening to watch the victims of this syndrome, who exist both in Government and in the Private Sector, because they never realize that they are afflicted with this malady.

[sardith]

Hey Doc,

Is this why they use that phrase?

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/get-your-goat.html

Sardith

[scw1217]

Susan,

That's what April Fool's Day is all about. I hope you enjoyed my getting your goat. (Ever wonder why we say that?)

Ah, but you didn't. I knew it was a joke. Still, I could have used it on him! (And might still!)

[bamaboy56]

SCW1217: I noticed it says under your posts you have a "...penchant for spelling anything..." Does this mean you're a great speller or does it mean you have a tendency to spell out everything? Just wondering. Also, it sounds like you had the same high school Chemistry teacher I had! He, too, liked to whiz a lot past us and was totally disliked. He's the reason I eschewed Chemistry when I went to college. Dr. Goodword: Great joke! I should have seen it coming from the beginning but have to admit you had me going there at the beginning. About half-way through I realized it HAD to be a joke. Had a good laugh. Thanks, I needed that.

[scw1217]

SCW1217: I noticed it says under your posts you have a "...penchant for spelling anything..." Does this mean you're a great speller or does it mean you have a tendency to spell out everything? Just wondering. Also, it sounds like you had the same high school Chemistry teacher I had! He, too, liked to whiz a lot past us and was totally disliked. He's the reason I eschewed Chemistry when I went to college. Dr. Goodword: Great joke! I should have seen it coming from the beginning but have to admit you had me going there at the beginning. About half-way through I realized it HAD to be a joke. Had a good laugh. Thanks, I needed that.

I can spell most everything (which does not keep me from making mistakes). People call me all the time to spell things. I have worked as a proofreader for 20 years now (again, I still make mistakes. Go figure.)

His name was Mr. Chandler and he was an ex-college professor who delighted in seeing how confused he could make us. His was the only class I guessed answers on the exam (somehow I make a B) and I didn't let him sign my yearbook.

[bamaboy56]

SCW1217: Thanks for the info! Just wondered about the spelling remark. I was a court reporter in courts in Alabama and Florida for many years (which required many hours stenotyping, transcribing and proofreading depositions and trials). I'm sure that's not the same type of proofreading you do but it does strengthen your spelling skills. I'm also asked by a lot of people how to spell things so I can relate to your post. I also make spelling mistakes, so I can relate to that, too! I no longer am a court reporter (alas!) but the skills are still there. Enjoyed your post. Thanks.

[Slava]

Proofreading is not the easiest task in the world. I volunteered to do so with my brother's second book, and I don't think I really read much of the book itself, as I was looking at the individual words, not what they meant. There is a harder task, though, and by far. Proofreading your own material. Nearly impossible for the majority, I'd say.

[scw1217]

Proofreading is not the easiest task in the world. I volunteered to do so with my brother's second book, and I don't think I really read much of the book itself, as I was looking at the individual words, not what they meant. There is a harder task, though, and by far. Proofreading your own material. Nearly impossible for the majority, I'd say.

You are right. I just published my first book and had a friend proofread it for me. After a while, the words begin to blend together.

Bamaboy56, you're welcome! I think it's an easy habit to get into. I spell check everything everywhere I go!

[Slava]

Proofreading is not the easiest task in the world. I volunteered to do so with my brother's second book, and I don't think I really read much of the book itself, as I was looking at the individual words, not what they meant. There is a harder task, though, and by far. Proofreading your own material. Nearly impossible for the majority, I'd say.

You are right. I just published my first book and had a friend proofread it for me. After a while, the words begin to blend together.

So, can you find your error in your post prior to this one?

[scw1217]

So, can you find your error in your post prior to this one?

Sorry, I'm off the clock tonight. lol