whisper、murmur、mumble

“Whisper、murmur” 和 “mumble” 作动词时都可以表示 “小声地说”，它们之间的区别是什么？哪个词的意思是 “刻意压低声音，只让身边的人听见”？想要说一个人 “小声嘟囔”，应该用哪个词？

用法总结

1 “Whisper” 用来表示 “因为只想让身边的人听到，所以故意小声说话”，类似于汉语里的 “说悄悄话”。

I don't want everyone to hear! I'll have to whisper.

I couldn't hear what the children were whispering about.

2 “Murmur” 用来表示 “持续地低声说，低语”。

'I love you', she murmured in her sleep.

He was murmuring continuously.

3 “Mumble” 用来表示 “小声嘟囔”。

She's always mumbling and complaining very quietly, so I can't hear! It drives me mad!

I couldn't understand what he was mumbling about.