PsychologySeptember 3, 2026

hyperarticulation

HY-per-ar-tik-yuh-LAY-shun

Definition

The act of enunciating speech sounds or vowels with exaggerated clarity and distinctness, typically to aid a listener's comprehension.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek prefix 'hyper-' (over or beyond) combined with the Latin 'articulatio' (a joint or division). It describes the process of going beyond standard speech movements to make sounds more distinct.

In the news

In this article, the author explains that humans use hyperarticulation when speaking to human infants to help them learn language, but they do not use it with dogs because we intuitively know dogs will not acquire speech.

Psychology says people who talk to their dogs like children aren't being immature — humans instinctively change the way they speak when trying to connect with someone who cannot answer in words, and dogs appear remarkably tuned to that signal

Read the full article ↗

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