Fw: Teenage speak and beyond

Richard Vallis rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET
Fri Jun 1 15:33:07 UTC 2007


I totally agree with you.  A longitudinal study needs to be done.  That's
why I'm asking if any inquiries have already been undertaken.
I certainly do not deny the diagnosis:

            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.

I'm merely saying this speech pattern has somehow been adopted as a kind of
teen lingo, probably beginning with the nationally syndicated "sophisticated
valley girl" speak of SNL's Lorraine Newman's character  back in the '70's.


Richard Vallis


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael H Covarrubias" <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 5:12 AM
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
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
>
> Quoting Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>:
>
> >  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.
>
> Is this based on a longitudinal study? Are you simply saying you've not
noticed
> it in any speakers prior to adolescence? That claim needs a little deeper
digging.
>
> Quoting Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>:
>
> > 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
>
> Great Neck, Roslyn, Scarsdale and New Rochelle are all part of a definite
region
> over which you would expect to find a speech pattern.
>
> 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.
> > > >
> > > > Self-promotion: http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/change/changin/
> > > >
> > > > -Matt Gordon
> > > >
> > > >
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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