"a warning singsong"
Jonathan Lighter
wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Wed Mar 16 16:43:47 UTC 2011
Yeah, what is it about affected singsonginess that makes it so despicably
expressive?
I bet it doesn't happen in Chinese.
Or...does it?
JL
On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 12:53 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:
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> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject: Re: "a warning singsong"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 11:30 AM -0400 3/16/11, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >It suddenly occurs to me that the suprasegmental in question was
> popularized
> >in the phrase,
> >
> >"You'll be SORRReeeee!"
>
> Then there's the teasing suprasegmental melody for "Sandy's got a
> boyfriend/girlfriend". Not a warning, but perhaps (depending on
> Sandy's temperament) crusin' for a bruisin'.
>
> LH
>
>
>
> >
> >which was in wide use in teh early '40s. (Though I can't find a prescise
> >characterization of it quickly, it is usally styled something like the
> >above. Whenever I've heard it, it's the typical "warning singsong.")
> >
> >I believe the phrase got started on a radio show. Did Red Skelton have
> >something to do with it?
> >
> >At any rate, the questions remain. Is the suprasegmental a 1940s
> innovation,
> >or (as I think) did "You'll be sorreeee!" simply exploit an
> >established feature?
> >
> >JL
> >On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 11:04 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> ><wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject: Re: "a warning singsong"
> >>
> >>
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> I don't think so. I don't recall that as being nearly as rhythmical and
> >> up-and-down as what I'm thinking of.
> >>
> >> But even so, it would still have been in the early '50s.
> >>
> >> Has anybody heard the "warning singsong suprasegmental" from speakers
> born
> >> before, say, the 1920s?
> >>
> >> I get the feeling that it was invented by pioneering rug-rats and
> carried
> >> over into "grownup" life.
> >>
> >> JL
> >> On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> > -----------------------
> >> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> > Poster: Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> >> > Subject: Re: "a warning singsong"
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >
> >> > Was Desi Arnaz's "Lucy! You have some esplainin' to do!" a singsong?
> >> >
> >> > DanG
> >> >
> >> > On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 10:45 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> >> > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> > > -----------------------
> >> > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> >> > > Subject: "a warning singsong"
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > >
> >> > > I mean that universally recognized singsong suprasegmental that
> people
> >> > use
> >> > > to suggest that you'd better stop what you're doing instantly. It
> can
> >> > also
> >> > > be used with "I told you so!" for extra obnoxiousness. That would
> be a
> >> > > "triumphant singsong"; GB gives a 1906 hit - out of only nine exx.
> -
> >> but
> >> > > that one seems insufficiently sarcastic (if that's the right
> word.)
> >> > >
> >> > > A "warning singsong (tone)" is about the best way I can describe
> the
> >> > > principal phenomenon. GB's earliest relevant hit (and there are
> very
> >> > few)
> >> > > is from 1951, pretty recently from Hengest's standpoint.
> >> > >
> >> > > My mother used to use it on occasion, but I can't recall if she
> started
> >> > in
> >> > > my earliest childhood or later. My feeling is that it was later,
> when
> >> > > everybody was using it, including me. But I can't picture my
> >> grandparents
> >> > > using it.
> >> > >
> >> > > Questions:
> >> > >
> >> > > 1. Is this feature common in other languages?
> >> > >
> >> > > 2. What's the earliest evidence for its existence in English? Did
> >> young
> >> > > Will Shakespeare employ it? (For that matter, did he go, "Nyah
> nyah
> >> nyah
> >> > > nyaah nyah"? I fear that history is mute on that question.)
> >> > >
> >> > > JL
> >> > >
> >> > > --
> >> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > > truth."
> >> > >
> >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >> > >
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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