Fw: Teenage speak and beyond

[Tom Zurinskas]

Good point, Richard.  Interesting the dynamic of how accents start.  They
can start with kids, just like clothing styles change.  If it hits the media
and can spread like wildfire - totally arbitrary and capricious and in
violation of spelling conventions.   I hear "keds" for "kids" and "sex" for
"six".  My favorite is "chooldren" (Where "oo" is as in "wool") for
children.

Another favorite is what I call the California power purr.  (linguists must
have a term for this, hopefully not in greek).  It's a purring sound down in
the vocal chords that show a very relaxed casual, almost fay attitude, like
nothing is bothering me, I'm so above it all I'm purring

Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
See truespel.com - and the 4  truespel books plus "Occasional Poems" at
authorhouse.com.





>From: Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Fw: Teenage speak and beyond
>Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 21:05:20 -0400
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>
>Subject:      Re: Fw: Teenage speak and beyond
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  In my experience, the  individuals to which I refer, DO NOT speak this
>way
>prior to adolescence.  They acquire an affectation after the onset of their
>teen years.  Hence,  it is not a regional speech pattern.
>It can be heard in Great Neck, Rosllyn, Scarsdale and New Rochelle in  the
>New York City vicinity where I live, and in upwardly mobile  neighborhoods
>of other metropolitan areas.
>Perhaps you might want to dig a little deeper into this.
>
>Richard Vallis
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Michael H Covarrubias" <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:40 PM
>Subject: Re: Fw: Teenage speak and beyond
>
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Fw: Teenage speak and beyond
> >
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----
> >
> > Better points than anything I was trying to make. Well taken.
> >
> > Michael
> >
> > Quoting "Gordon, Matthew J." <GordonMJ at MISSOURI.EDU>:
> >
> > > Both the lowering of /E/ and the backing of /ae/ are found in the =
> > > California Shift and the Canadian Shift. People inclined to believe in
>=
> > > chain shifting might chalk these movements up to the presence of the =
> > > low-back merger (cot=3Dcaught) in both these regions. But, feel free
>to
>=
> > > ignore such structuralist explanations and continue psychoanalyzing.
> > >
> > > Self-promotion: http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/change/changin/
> > >
> > > -Matt Gordon
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > >
> > > >  In what appears to be an attempt at speech sophistication, the =
> > > adolescent
> > > > girl (and occasional guy) characteristically distorts the vowel =
> > > sounds,
> > > > especially  the  "e" as in the word best.  Best becomes "bast" or =
> > > "bost" or
> > > > "bus."  Better becomes "batter" as the mouth opens wide to
>accommodate
>=
> > > this
> > > > apparently classy way of enunciating.  Other vowel sounds are =
> > > similarly
> > > > affected by the sophisticatedly wide open mouth.  Bush becomes
>"bahsh"
>=
> > > and on
> > > > it goes, endlessly.  What's more daunting, is that the individual =
> > > continues
> > > > this distortion into post adolescence and beyond when a young
>person's
> > > > apparent need for "fitting in" and peer pressure would seem to be
> > > > diminished.
> > > >
> > > > Television personalities and actors have generally been purged of
>it,
>=
> > > but it
> > > > maddeningly rears itself, wide-mouthed, in commercials.  What's =
> > > surprising is
> > > > that most listeners don't seem to notice the bend in pronunciation =
> > > until it's
> > > > pointed out to them....
> > > >
> > > > Richard Vallis
> > > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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