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Commander Kinsey[_3_] Commander Kinsey[_3_] is offline
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Default OT: Rise in pitch at the end of every sentence

On Sun, 13 Jun 2021 17:50:06 +0100, NY wrote:

"Commander Kinsey" wrote in message
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Why do some people raise their voice at the end of every sentence? It
sounds like they're asking a question. Glaswegians and Australians are
particularly bad for it. Are they unsure of everything they say and are
seeking confirmation?


I think a sentence like "I saw Helen (?) in Tesco (?) and she said that she
and James (?) were expecting a baby." (where "(?)" denotes a rising tone)
there is an implied "You know Helen, don't you?", "You know where Tesco is,
don't you?" and "You've met James, haven't you?" - as if the speaker is
constantly seeking confirmation that the listener knows who/what the speaker
is talking about.


And is very irritating. If you're saying something and you're unsure of several pieces of knowledge in the other person's mind, you're doing it wrong.

It's referred to as "up-talk" (because the pitch goes up at the end of each
clause/sentence) and it's said to have come across to the UK either from
West Coast USA or from Australian soaps such as Neighbours.