"What words are there to describe the situation when I suddenly can't speak anymore?" - Masterlist
If you suddenly can't speak/struggle to speak:
- losing words
- losing speech/speech loss
- no mouth words
- out of words
- speech loss episode
- situational speech loss
- going/being silent
- becoming/being unspeaking
- verbal shutdown
- verbal crash
- low/weak verbality
Coined by @witchy-fennec :
- demi-verbal:
Handle with care (because it can be misunderstood easily as it reminds of selective mutism, which under no circumstances should be mixed up):
- autistic mutism
Some general words:
- low words
- no words
- speech averse
- voice averse
- speech pause
- being/becoming voiceless
- being tight-lipped/tongue-tied/close-mouthed
- being verbally uncommunicative
- being untalkative
- being tacit/taciturn
If you want to express that you only use nonverbal communication to communicate:
- communicating nonverbally/using nonverbal communication - NOT being nonverbal, that doesn't refer to you using nonverbal communication and is something else entirely ☝🏼
If you want to express that internally you're really struggling with speech atm, but you're able to force yourself to speak:
- masked-verbal
If you can't speak anymore and can't make sense of language anymore simultaneously:
- losing language
If you could speak theoretically, but simply choose not to do so (or to speak less):
- word resting (for example if you want to save energy)
- choice verbal
- on vocal rest (well-known, likely won't raise further questions)
Words by @carpsstuff :
- despeechify - when verbal communication begins to slow or shut down. example: i’m about to despeechify, can you hand me my tablet so i can use my app?
- larynx laziness - you want to speak, but for whatever reason but at that moment you cannot. example: i am feeling some hardcore larynx laziness, because i really want to use my voice but ugh! i just can’t!
- talk tired - being temporarily unable to use verbal communication due to physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion. example: i am so talktired right now, it’s making it hard to speak.
- untalkable - being unable to speak in that moment for an indeterminate amount of time due to neurodivergence. example: i am pretty untalkable right now, so i’m using pen and paper to communicate.
- voicebox variable - your level of speech capability varies from time to time. example: i am voicebox variable.
- wonky worded - saying things like up when you mean down, or left when you mean right, or yes when you mean no, like your words are getting mixed up somewhere along the way from your brain to your mouth. example: i am seriously wonky worded right now, everything is coming out of my mouth all wrong.
Some newly coined terms I find really cool by @archival-arrival , might especially be interesting for those who aren't autistic (definition in the linked post):
- nullvox
- tacevox/tacetvox
- siovox
- siofoni
- ochifoni/chorisfoni
- ochilogia/chorislogia
- pagofoni
- pagolexei/pagologia
