Meaning of grammelot | Babel Free

Definitions

A style of language used in satirical theater: a gibberish with macaronic and onomatopoeic elements, used in association with mime and mimicry.

countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Actually, much of “Mistero Buffo” doesn't require translation and indeed is untranslatable: Mr. Fo speaks in “grammelot,” a kind of polyglot gabble speckled with an occasional intelligible word.”

“Then, dashing in and out of guises, using his expressive face and body and speaking in grammelot so that everyone can understand him, he might improvise. That would surely be a Nobel first, like the winner himself.”

“The language sounds random – “moot moot” and the rest – but it’s actually quite precise. Theatrically, it’s like Grammelot, a technique that has been used in theatre and commedia dell’arte for hundreds of years.”

CEFR level