bable

See also: Bable and bąble

Asturian

Etymology

First attested by Carlos González de Posada, in Memorias históricas de Asturias (1794), who cites it as a synonym of "Asturian language", the name became very popular in the 19th century all the way to the Surdimientu (1970s), only beginning to carry a despective meaning around the 1980s. Possibly of onomatopoeic origin, similar to Spanish balbucir, English babble. Others have suggested Latin fābŭla, with a change of f- to b- (which is common in Meridional dialects), thus a Doublet of fala.

In any case, the word remained exclusively used in intellectual or literary circles and was never used by the speakers themselves, who predominantly use asturianu (along with other names in local dialects), as seen in the 1930s ALPI survey.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbable/ [ˈba.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: ba‧ble

Noun

bable m (uncountable)

1. (archaic, literary) Asturian (language) [from late 18th c. to mid 20th c.]

   Synonyms: asturianu, bable asturianu

   • 1889, Tedoro Cuesta, A mió má la d'el cielu‎^[1]:

     Pa dalgunos el bable ye enoxosu
     Y pa muchos quiciaes revesosu

     To some, Asturian is irritating
     And for many maybe convoluted

   • 1923, Carlos de la Concha, Los suaños del probe Lin‎^[2]:

     ¡Ay bable, llengua materna!
     ¿Por qué fusti abandonada?

     Oh Asturian, [my] mother tongue!
     Why have you been abandoned?

2. (derogatory) Asturian [from late 20th c.]
3. (derogatory, dated, in the plural) Asturian, when purposely conceived as an "amalgamation of dialects" rather than a language [from late 20th c.]
4. (derogatory, dated) an Asturian variant or dialect, when Asturian isn't considered a language [from late 20th c.]

Further reading

• “bable (noun)”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “bable (noun)”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, lydord. Compare with German babbeln

Verb

bable (imperative babl or bable, present tense babler, passive bables, simple past and past participle babla or bablet, present participle bablende)

1. to babble

References

• “bable” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• babla

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, lydord. Compare with German babbeln

Verb

bable (present tense bablar, past tense babla, past participle babla, passive infinitive bablast, present participle bablande, imperative bable/babl)

1. to babble

References

• “bable” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Spanish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic, similar to balbucir, English babble.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbable/ [ˈba.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -able
• Syllabification: ba‧ble

Noun

bable m (uncountable)

1. (sometimes derogatory) Asturian (language)

   Synonym: asturiano

Further reading

• “bable”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025