language change among young people: 'uptalk?'

[Lise Menn]

That one's been around for a while, and probably another case of gradual
regional spread,  because in the PBS video American Tongues, which is
quite old now, a New York comedian makes fun of it as 'southern', and then
later it was documented, I think by Pam Munro of UCLA, as a California
Valley Girl talk pattern.  The rise - which has by now become part of my
speech also (and I'm past 55 and from the northeast) - functionally
replaces 'y'know' as an appeal to shared experience.

Lise Menn
Professor
Department of Linguistics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
303-492-1609

On Sun, 15 Aug 1999 LloyAl at aol.com wrote:

> Subj:   Re: language change among young people
> Date:   8/15/99 9:28:31 PM EST
> From:   LloyAl
> To: santelmannl at pdx.edu
>
> I'm not sure my observation come under the heading of language change, but
> here it is. I have  noticed quite often in recent years the use of what I
> call a "declarative question". That is the use of a rising inflection at the
> end of a statement that almost turns the statement into a question. The
> listener usually responds as though a question has been asked. Has anyone
> else observed this?
>
>