Semantic satiation is a psychological effect in which repeating a word or phrase causes it to temporarily lose its meaning for the listener, who comes to perceive the speech as a repeated, meaningless sound. Extended inspection of a word or phrase, such as staring at it for a long time, produces the same effect as repetition does.
Facts
Partially Attested
First Described YearYear the phrase was coined; the source lists earlier names for essentially the same process (for example verbal satiation, Smith and Raygor 1956, and lapse of meaning, Bassett and Warne 1919). Core ClaimSemantic satiation is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener. 1 Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Wikipedia: Semantic satiation
Lead, sentence 1
repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener
History and research
Leon Jakobovits James coined the phrase "semantic satiation" in his 1962 doctoral dissertation at McGill University
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Semantic satiation is a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.
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