On Sun, 13 Jun 2021 17:59:19 +0100, wrote:

On 6/13/21 12:50 PM, NY wrote:
"Commander Kinsey" wrote in message
news
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.

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.

35 years ago (?) a Canadian co-worker(?) in Utah(?)spoke like this (?).

I like to respond with "why are you asking me, it's you telling the story".