expression, adverb
nothing special; nothing in particular; not worth mentioning
Used with a negative predicate to mean there is nothing particularly notable or worth mentioning. Common in everyday speech.
これと言って変わったことはなかった。
There was nothing particularly unusual.
趣味はこれと言ってありません。
I don't have any hobbies to speak of.
特に is a general adverb meaning 'especially' or 'particularly', used in both affirmative and negative sentences. これと言って is only used in negative contexts and emphasizes the lack of anything notable.
別に is a casual adverb meaning 'not really' or 'nothing in particular', often used alone as a short reply. これと言って is more emphatic and always modifies a following negative predicate.
From これ (this) + と (quotative particle) + 言って (te-form of 言う, to say), literally 'saying this and...'. The phrase grammaticalized into an adverbial expression meaning 'nothing in particular' when used with a negative predicate.