Origin of ENNUI French, from Old French enui annoyance, from enuier to vex, from Late Latin inodiare to make loathsome — more at annoy. First Known Use: 1732.
Give me the perky Valley Girl-speak any day. That hyper excited way of conversing that let one's listeners know there was life going on. Even if they were talking about shoes or handbags, they were animated; they were alive. Admittedly, hearing too much Valley Girl-speak could lead to a facial tic, but I miss it and would gladly embrace it should it care to make a comeback.
Unfortunately, this cheerful inflection seems to have fallen by the wayside and been replaced by this joyless, languid-seeming uber ennui voice. You’ve heard it. You know what I’m talking about. It’s not unlike a rusty spade being dragged down a lonely tarmac road, syllables drawn out to emphasize the speaker's lethargy. Or annoyance and vexation as the French felt was rife in 1732, warranting a new word to describe this ultra malaise of the mouth. What are these lazy talkers so tired about that they can't muster up the oomph it takes to converse in an upbeat, engaging manner?
Surveys show the condition was once confined to the wealthy reality show ‘celebs’ but as insidious as these things can be, it has crossed over and is now plaguing the middle to upper classes. (Though there are some members of the lower classes who have tried to adapt to this ennui-speak, but they’re generally too busy with work and school to maintain the stamina for the faux linguistics.)
Why would anyone willingly choose to sound bored - which to me means they lack imagination and are unhappy with their situation. Then why not get up and out and do something useful. Get involved. Find a diversion. Get captivated. If not for yourself, but for others. Thinking outside the box that is you can be a real eye-opener. Perhaps a fundraiser to find a cure for their anemic speak would be the ticket.
Watch this space where I will focus on the 'up' talkers.
Give me the perky Valley Girl-speak any day. That hyper excited way of conversing that let one's listeners know there was life going on. Even if they were talking about shoes or handbags, they were animated; they were alive. Admittedly, hearing too much Valley Girl-speak could lead to a facial tic, but I miss it and would gladly embrace it should it care to make a comeback.
Unfortunately, this cheerful inflection seems to have fallen by the wayside and been replaced by this joyless, languid-seeming uber ennui voice. You’ve heard it. You know what I’m talking about. It’s not unlike a rusty spade being dragged down a lonely tarmac road, syllables drawn out to emphasize the speaker's lethargy. Or annoyance and vexation as the French felt was rife in 1732, warranting a new word to describe this ultra malaise of the mouth. What are these lazy talkers so tired about that they can't muster up the oomph it takes to converse in an upbeat, engaging manner?
Surveys show the condition was once confined to the wealthy reality show ‘celebs’ but as insidious as these things can be, it has crossed over and is now plaguing the middle to upper classes. (Though there are some members of the lower classes who have tried to adapt to this ennui-speak, but they’re generally too busy with work and school to maintain the stamina for the faux linguistics.)
Why would anyone willingly choose to sound bored - which to me means they lack imagination and are unhappy with their situation. Then why not get up and out and do something useful. Get involved. Find a diversion. Get captivated. If not for yourself, but for others. Thinking outside the box that is you can be a real eye-opener. Perhaps a fundraiser to find a cure for their anemic speak would be the ticket.
Watch this space where I will focus on the 'up' talkers.
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