Paul Schleifer

February 27 2018

Word of the Day: Voluble

We’re on a run of words that have to do with talking. Voluble means “chatty, gabby, mouthy, talkative, characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words; fluent; glib.” This is what we get about the word voluble from www.etymonline.com: early 15c., “’liable to constant change,’ from Middle French voluble, from Latin volubilis ‘that turns around, rolling, flowing,’ figuratively (of speech) ‘fluent, rapid,’ from volvere ‘to turn around, roll,’ from PIE root *wel– (3) ‘to turn, revolve.’ Meaning ‘fluent, talkative’ first recorded 1580s.”

The OED gives us “liable to change, inconstant” as the first definition; “Capable of ready rotation on a centre or axis; apt to revolve or roll in this manner” as the second definition; “Moving rapidly and easily, esp. with a gliding or undulating movement” as the third, and finally “Characterized by fluency or glibness of utterance; rapid and ready of speech” and other speech-related definitions after.

The OED gives quotes, of course, to support these definitions:

As of all voluble things, there is nothyng more light than renown—1575.

His imagination shall be carried in the voluble Sphere of diuers mens discourses—1589.

A broad and voluble tong, thinne and mouable lippes, teeth euen and not shagged—1589.

Aged cares play truant at his tales, So sweet and voluble is his discourse—1588.

Frankly, I think it quite interesting that garrulous and voluble mean virtually the same thing and yet sound so different in my head. If I think of someone as garrulous, I consider them a bit of a boor, someone who does not have much of interest to say and yet refuses to shut up. If I think of someone as voluble, I consider them bubbly, witty, talking constantly, perhaps, yet always entertaining.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the death of one of the most loquacious figures in American politics, perhaps in American history: William F. Buckley, Jr. Buckley was born in 1925, in New York City, to wealthy parents and a Roman Catholic upbringing. He was educated around the world. But he was also the 6th of 10 children.

He served in the US Army as an officer until the end of World War 2, at which point he enrolled at Yale University. After graduating with honors, he published his first book, God and Man at Yale, a critique of his alma mater. Later that year, he was recruited by the CIA and served in the service for 2 years.

In 1955, he founded the National Review magazine, which is still published today and is still one of the leading outlets for conservative political thought. But Buckley received his greatest exposure on Firing Line, a PBS show which he hosted from 1966-1999. Buckley demonstrated his extensive vocabulary on this show. But the thing about Buckley’s vocabulary was that he used words precisely; he always had a reason for using a big word over a less specific small word, which is not usual for people who like to use multisyllabic words.

I did not agree with Buckley on everything. But I always found him to be entertaining. He was as good a talker as I have ever heard, and I don’t mean just public speaking, but his conversations with his guests on Firing Line. He always had a ready flow of words, and not just words, but really good words.

He was voluble in the best possible sense of the word.

The image is a photo of Buckley at Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration, 21 January 1985. It was taken by SPC 5 Bert Goulait, US Military. The Wikimedia Commons page lists a website as the source, but the link is, apparently, dead.