Springfield Mo. harsh dialect

[sagehen]

>Paul Johnson
>I am an interested lurker on this list and have noticed that in the last
>year or so the female news readers on the Springfield TV stations,have
>taken on a harsh, almost screechy voice, best I can describe it as is a
>Vally girl sound plus a high pitched screech.
>Is there a name or a reason for this?  (outside of irritating me?)
>Has anyone else noticed this?
>Is it becoming nationwide?
>I can not believe that some school of drama or journalism would be
>teaching this.
>
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Without knowing just what particular vocal quality Paul is alluding to, I
can certainly sympathize with the irritation and puzzlement produced by
all-too-many of the voices of anchors & newsreaders on broadcast media
these days.  The quality that I bristle at is one that sounds a lot like
the sound produced by voices transmitted via paper diaphragms linked by
thread  that were the principal parts of  toy microphones (Xmas stocking
stuffers) when I was a kid.  When most irritated, I think the speaker, when
once praised as cute by parents, thought that further voice development
wouldn't be necessary!   One of the women who anchor All Things Considered
has a yip or chirp that comes at such frequent intervals (about every fifth
syllable) that it's almost like a tic.  I would like to agree with Paul's
last point, but I wonder!
(BTW, I wouldn't confine this "arrested development" quality to females.  I
hear a lot of little boy voices, too. )
AM

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