Sometimes people are primed to hear in a certain way. When a word like braggadocious suddenly appears, it's like, 'What, is he just making that up?'
Ben ZimmerWeaponization of a candidate's words against him or her is something we're seeing a lot. The term Obamacare was used against Obama in a pejorative way, but Obama again reclaimed it.
Ben ZimmerHillary Clinton has been portrayed as robotic, someone who is trying to approximate real human emotion.
Ben ZimmerDonald Trump speaks extemporaneously, often through stream of consciousness, where it doesn't seem to follow a trajectory.
Ben Zimmer