AIBU to be annoyed by calling shouting or loud voices screaming?

[MitheredNotDead]

AIBU to get annoyed when people use the term ‘screaming’ to describe shouting or using a loud voice?

It seems to be more common in the USA but I’ve heard it creeping into terminology over here too.

Screaming is the noise made when, for example, you’re on a rollercoaster or being murdered (extra loud if being murdered whilst sampling the delights of Alton Towers’ highest ride I suppose?)

It fucking winds me up when I hear people describe an interaction as ‘they screamed at me’ when reporting on an incident where the other party did some slight shouting.

Why do people do this? Screaming, in my experience, is a pretty rare occurrence outside infant school playgrounds when kids are dicking around/theme parks/occasions where genuine fear or unregulated excitement happens.

If you’re one of these folk who say screaming when you mean a raised voice why do you do it?

I do it sometimes, depending on how dramatic I feel.

I also say "he turned around and said..." when there was no turning, and I say literally when I mean figuratively.

Thank you for your honesty 🙏🏻

All those things irritate me 😄

If someone recounts being screamed at when it was just a raised voice I consider that untruthful and I will then assume I can't trust anything they tell me.

I thought the "she turned round/I turned round" was ridiculous even as a child - it's always conjured up absurd images in my mind.

And the "literally" thing, well, I just think it's a common habit of people who don't really consider what they're saying.

You'd hate me!

You aren’t wrong. Very common on here.
It’s a symptom of modern society where no one can handle conflict and people avoid disagreeing because they fear the reaction.

There’s a line though? If I shout up the stairs for the kids, someone who doesn’t ever raise their voice can say there was screaming in the house because the volume has gone up hugely to anything they’ve ever heard!

No. The whole point is that screaming is a specific, loud, higher-pitched, open-throated vocalisation without words - or sometimes with very simple exclamations like "Fire!" or "Get off me!"

Of course, if you're doing that up the stairs to your kids ...

Screaming appears to be something little and not so little girls seem to do for some reason when they playing and/or excited. It's extremely annoying and parents seldom stop them.
When I was a kid we were always told off for screaming so that our parents knew to come running if we did because it meant we were in an actual situation that required assistance - not the case anymore though.

Yes, it is very confusing and annoying.

Describing shouting as screaming paints a very different picture. Did she scream or did she actually shout?! This needs to be asked now to clarify what the hell happened.

So true. My niece who’s a TA is so used to screaming that she didn’t even turn around from the front passenger seat to see why I screamed when dh began reversing the car whilst I only had one foot inside.
She said she just zones out the noise.

When I search for the definition of scream, some sources give 'speak or write with great emotion' as one of the definitions.

I personally think screaming does overlap with shouting. I have never used it to mean writing.

DS once said "stop screaming" after I'd used a slightly projected voice.

I told him to put his fingers in his ears and demonstrated a proper high pitched scream, so that he was clear about the distinction between the two.

It has become more common to hear young girls making shrieky screamy sounds, but I don't hear adults screaming, or even going shrill when being aggitated.

My kids will say I am screaming at them when I use any kind of assertive or brisk tone. For example, one of them was setting fire to toilet roll (safely, in a metal colander outdoors with an oven glove and water nearby!) and I said, "Right let's stop that now as the wind is picking up" - cue eye roll and "Stop screaming about it!"

It actually really upsets me because I have only screamed at any of them once (DD2 when she ran out in front of a car ffs) and generally run a very calm ship.

Definitely not just little girls that scream 😱

you never been to the soft play? It’s all of them. I fucking hate screaming and think adults should tell their children not to do it (unless actually in danger)

I get wound up by posters insisting a teacher has screamed at their princess or little soldier- I dont think so!

This has always been the way people recall events they don’t like…whatever the event.

”My teacher shouted at me!” is another one…no she didn’t, she told you off and you didn’t like it!

”My friend bullied me!” no she didn’t…she stood up for herself finally and told you no, she wasn’t going to do what you said anymore!

Totally agree. People who refer to any argument as "shouting and screaming at me" really boils my pissl

Nah, I would probably love you, and you would find me increasingly annoying to the point you would turn around and literally scream at me 🤣

Brilliant 👌🏻 😄

I agree, people should try to be more accurate in what they say.

I think it's become one of those words people use figuratively without explicitly saying "figuratively speaking".
We all do it with words like Freezing/Boiling/Roasting or Starving. Using Screaming that way doesn't really bother me. I get more annoyed by my kids telling me they're "absolutely starving" - no you bloody aren't, it's been 30 minutes since your last snack!!!! You can normally tell whether people mean "their voice was a little bit loud when we had a row" or "they used a loud, high pitched shriek to signify distress"

I've commented before on MN that I've noticed the phrase "screamed at" invariably being used these days to mean "politely admonished"...🙄

I haven't noticed that though I will now. I do notice that children call it shouting when someone tells them off at normal volume, which is especially confusing when it's a teacher.