Autoarticulation
As Language Log readers are undoubtedly aware, I am prey to mondegreens, earworms, and other imaginary auditory oddities. Lately, the last half year or so, I've been occasionally subject to what, faute de mieux, I've taken to calling "autoarticulation", modeled after "autosuggestion".
It doesn't last very long, doesn't repeat on an endless loop, and is not very annoying, though it is a bit creepy.
Here's what happens. A phrase — usually between about three and eight words — pops into my mind. It comes out of nowhere. It is completely irrelevant to anything that comes before or after it. The phrase is articulated clearly in standard, neutral American English, without any accent. I don't know if anyone else experiences this kind of phenomenon, but in my case, the voice is usually male, although once in a while it may be female.
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