Echolalia

[MichiganJFrog]

The next time some obnoxious jerk starts repeating back everything you say, just point this out to them:

Echolalia is a feature of schizophrenia (especially the catatonic form), Tourette syndrome, and some other disorders.

 

[NinjaSurfer]

Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man) immediately came to mind;

 

[Coolydudey]

Raymond Babbit (Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man) immediately came to mind;

Haha.

But on a serious note, just because somebody occasionally repeats what you say just to annoy you is no sign of mental disorder...

 

[emRec]

I'm not sure I understand the phenomenon. The only two instances I can think of where people repeat your words is when they're buying themselves time to think or when they do it in a mocking tone. And I don't think I've heard this kind of mocking since grade school.

 

[intpz]

You mean something like this?

- I'm going to Hawaii for the weekend.
- You're going to Hawaii for the weekend?

// Now I have to answer either "Yes" or "Yes, I am going to Hawaii for the weekend," or mock them somehow. Unfortunately they piss me off greatly by doing this bullshit, but they wouldn't understand me pissing them off for it. Poor fucks...

 

[EditorOne]

Echolalia is good if you use it in responding to an advertisement for a job.

Ad: "We want an enthusiastic designer with at least a bachelor of arts and the ability to create using InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop"

Your cover letter: "I am an enthusiastic designer with a master of fine arts degree. I am proficient in creatively using a variety of software programs, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop."

Yeah, just that much will get you past the human resource dragons guarding the gates, you've given them dots they can connect with their crayons.

Other than responding to an ad: Not so much good to say about echolalia, although it is one of those words that seems vaguely naughty.

 

[SpaceYeti]

It's how babies learn to speak! Awwww, how cute!

 

[MichiganJFrog]

I don't think I've heard this kind of mocking since grade school.

No, you're right. When obnoxious people grow up, they switch from echolalia to glossolalia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3be9wCAwIM

 

[NinjaSurfer]

Echolalia also reminds me of the most annoying form of sarcasm, or level I sarcasm, which is used like it is supposed to be level IV sarcasm...

let me give you an example


Me: "you are stupid."
Him: "sure, IIIIII'MMMMM the one that's stupid."
Me: "that's what I just said."

but really it was my ex gf who used this annoying form of level I sarcasm;

Me: "you're so illogical right now."
Her: "oh right, I'M the one being illogical."
Me: "yes, that's what I just said."


OMG I'm so annoyed all over again.

 

[intpz]

That's a good addition to my example. What's level 99 sarcasm?

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I think I remember reading something about infatuation causing people to repeat what another says.

 

[NinjaSurfer]

That's a good addition to my example. What's level 99 sarcasm?

I'm not sure, I only received my Masters Degree in sarcasm, and the last course I took was "SRCM550: How to agree with someone to make them look stupid." And I have only toyed with sarcasm up to level IV and V, I am not sure beyond level V (5) what that sarcasm would even look like; I imagine that only minds like Einstein and beyond could imagine string level types of sarcasm that even I have not conceptualized could exist.

 

[MichiganJFrog]

Me: "you're so illogical right now."
Her: "oh right, I'M the one being illogical."

Damn, your ex had some seriously advanced rhetorical flourishes going on!

I think I remember reading something about infatuation causing people to repeat what another says.

So all those annoying girls in junior high really had a thing for me? I knew it!

 

[Beholder]

I think I have this a bit, every once in a while I just get this urge to instantly repeat something I just heard, usually it's someone's message ringtone, but sometimes it's a few words or something like that. It's not about the words though, it's the sound, so it's usually when someone says something funny sounding, or something in another language, or something said with an accent.
I've had a few embarrassing instances of this though, so I control it now and hardly ever repeat things people say, except quietly under my breath. Although it's getting kind of hard recently, since where I work about half the people, including my boss, are Arabs, and to me for some reason there's nothing funnier than an Arab accent in Hebrew (today my boss told me to "sbray and bolish the counter", Arabs don't have the sound "P" in their language, for some reason this provides me with endless humour).