Fw: Teenage speak and beyond

[Michael H Covarrubias]

Quoting Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>:

> I assume you're being facetious by
> declaring one chooses one's  speech
> pattern to fit what one is saying.
>

Maybe Rich Little chooses his speech patterns to fit what he's saying, but I'll
leave the 'psychoanalyzing' (as Mr Gordon suggests) to those who are trained in
the skill.

I'm not sure there's enough data to convince me that phonetics are a window to
the soul. (For what it's worth I'll even rescind my jab at anyone who thinks
vacuum cleaners are fashion statements. It's no more ridiculous than thinking
the same about a scarf.)

Michael

> > Quoting Richard Vallis <rvallis at OPTONLINE.NET>:
> >
> > > 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
> > >
> > ---------------------
> >
> >
> > ...well anyone who thinks a vacuum cleaner
> > should
> > be a fashion statement is obvious trying a little too hard to be
> > sophisticated.
> >
> > Here's a url for the vacuum cleaner commercial.
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJeT6aFBvs
> >
> > Michael
> >
> >

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