Make Your Point > Archived Issues > COLLOQUIAL
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pronounce
COLLOQUIAL:
Say it "kuh LO kwee ull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
As we're checking out the word colloquial today, let's recall three other words that also trace back to the Latin loqui, "to speak:"
1. Loqu_____s people are very talkative.
2. G_____loquence is an overly fancy way of talking or writing.
3. To ____loquize is to talk to yourself out loud, often for a long time, as if you're a character on a stage.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The word "colloquy" has Latin roots that mean "speaking together." A colloquy is a conversation, or a discussion--usually a very formal, public one.
The adjective, "colloquial," first meant "conversational: related to conversations." But in a strange departure from the noun "colloquy," which continues to mean "a formal talk or conversation," the adjective "colloquial" now most often means "conversational in an informal, casual, everyday kind of way."
In other words, colloquial word and phrases are the kind that regular folks use with each other every day in casual settings.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "They used colloquial terms;" "It's an old colloquial expression."
Other common forms:
Colloquy, colloquies, colloquially.
Colloquialisms are casual, informal phrases or expressions.
how to use it:
This will sound strange, but "colloquial" is the formal word you want to talk about words and phrases that aren't formal.
Call a word, a phrase, an expression, a sentence, a conversation, or a piece of writing colloquial when it seems to be relaxed, casual, slangy, etc.
examples:
"If you look through old forums and the archives of news websites, you’ll find instances of 'photoshop,' 'photoshopped,' and 'photoshopping' peppering the comments sections far earlier than you'll find them in actual articles. Part of the reason is that traditional publications are typically hesitant to use colloquial language until it's generally understood among readers."
— Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, 19 February 2020
"As David Letterman used to do in his late-night monologues, Gulman savors a colloquial term, repeating it until the mundane starts to sound odd. 'Millennials take so much flak, so much guff,' he says, enjoying articulation, spitting out sounds with gusto. 'Flak as well as guff. I don't know what irritates me more, the flak or the guff.'"
— Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 4 October 2019
has this page helped you understand "colloquial"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "colloquial" without saying "idiomatic" or "vernacular."
try it out:
Check out a few more colloquial terms:
From the New York Times: "'Mom rage' is the colloquial term for the unrestrained anger many women experience during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond."
And from Slate: "Vox puts this point in colloquial terms: Republicans are 'the political party that cried wolf.'"
Give another example of a colloquial word or phrase you've heard recently, or one that you've used yourself recently. It might be new and slangy, or old and proverbial. What kind of situations would call for that colloquialism? And what kind of situations wouldn't?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our new game for November is "SpongeBob Shakespeare."
Check out the goofy quote below. Is it from SpongeBob Squarepants, or is it a modern-English version of a quote from Shakespeare?
I'll list the answer at the bottom of each issue. Enjoy!
Try this one today:
"Too bad [he's] not here to enjoy [him] not being here."
review this word:
A. FORMAL, ELEGANT, and GRACEFUL.
B. FORMAL, ACADEMIC, and DECOROUS.
C. FORMAL, DETACHED, and HANDS-OFF.
2. To put it in colloquial terms: _____.
A. that idea lacks merit
B. that dog won't hunt, y'all
C. that suggestion is idiotic
a final word:
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I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
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Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
As we're checking out the word colloquial today, let's recall three other words that also trace back to the Latin loqui, "to speak:"
The word "colloquy" has Latin roots that mean "speaking together." A colloquy is a conversation, or a discussion--usually a very formal, public one.
Part of speech:
This will sound strange, but "colloquial" is the formal word you want to talk about words and phrases that aren't formal.
"If you look through old forums and the archives of news websites, you’ll find instances of 'photoshop,' 'photoshopped,' and 'photoshopping' peppering the comments sections far earlier than you'll find them in actual articles. Part of the reason is that traditional publications are typically hesitant to use colloquial language until it's generally understood among readers."
Explain the meaning of "colloquial" without saying "idiomatic" or "vernacular."
Check out a few more colloquial terms:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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