Saturday, December 7, 2013

"More men speaking in girls' 'dialect', study shows"

"More young men in California rise in pitch at the end of their sentences when talking, new research shows."
This process is known as "uptalk" or "valleygirl speak" and has in the past been associated with young females, typically from California or Australia.

But now a team says that this way of speaking is becoming more frequent among men.

The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in California. 

"We found use of uptalk in all of our speakers, despite their diverse backgrounds in socioeconomic status, ethnicity, bilingualism and gender," said Amanda Ritchart, a linguist at the University of California who led the research.

"We believe that uptalk is becoming more prevalent and systematic in its use for the younger generations in Southern California," she added.
More by Melissa Hogenboom,

4 comments:

Chip Ahoy said...

This is true. It sounds Australian. Annoying because it is declarative vocalized as interrogative leaving a gap to be filled with expected agreement. It seeks affirmation.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

I've noticed it on NPR. Its annoying.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

The pussification of America continues...unabated.

Methadras said...

Sissy boys all.