LL-L "Phonology" 2005.12.04 (09) [E]

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   L O W L A N D S - L * 04 December 2005 * Volume 09
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From: Paul Tatum <ptatum at blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2005.12.01 (03) [E]

Hello all,

Heather wrote:

> From: heather rendall <HeatherRendall at compuserve.com>
> Subject: LL-L "Phonology" 2005.11.29 (05) [D/E]
>
> Message text written by INTERNET:lowlands-l at LOWLANDS-L.NET
>
>> Lately I have been struck by a similar marked rising tone in the
>> speech of the
>
> English presentator of the BBC documentary series Egyptian Journeys with
> Dan Cruickshank. Is this a new tendency in English?<
>
> I don't think anything can be deduced from the way Dan Cruickshank talks/
> speaks - it is VERY idiosyncratic
>
> Heather

the actor Stephen Fry listed this as one of his pet hates on the BBC's
'Room 101' - it went into the pit. Apparently, it's called the
Austrailian Questioning Intonation, and it causes grief to some
Australians themselves to hear other Aussies use it. Just found this
link about it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/routesofenglish/storysofar/programme4_4.shtml
(part of the 'routes' site that ron recommended).search for 'upspeak'.

Yours, Paul Tatum

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Phonology

Thanks for that, Paul!

When I lived in Western Australia (a good two decades ago) nobody talked 
about the raising statement intonation except linguists, and "ordinary" 
folks I asked about it didn't quite know what I was talking about or needed 
me to kindle their awareness, at which point those that did not use it 
themselves would say things like "Yeah, can be kind of annoying. Right?" 
(In other words, something annoyed them about some people's speech, but they 
hadn't quite been able to put their fingers onto what exactly it was until 
someone explained it.)  I was under the impression that it was found more on 
the east coast than on the west coast, that in Western Australia it was 
associated mostly with feminine style at the time.  Perhaps it has spread 
since then.  Does anyone know?  (We have West Australians on the List. If 
they are too shy to unlurk themselves they could write to me privately and I 
will pass it on anonymized.)

That's a nice sound snippet you linked us to there, Paul.  The exact URL:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/routesofenglish/storysofar/ramfiles/routes4_australia_bush.ram

They call it "broad Australian," but I've heard much broader Australian than 
that.  In fact, I have met people whom I could hardly understand even after 
a good decade in the country.  So I would say there are far more varieties 
than just the "broad Australian" and the "educated/cultivated Australian" 
they talk about.  Those would be only the two main *categories* or *groups* 
of varieties.

Also, they talk about "drawn-out vowels" as a hallmark.  I don't find that 
particular feature as remarkable (compared with most other English 
dialects).  Besides, the lady in the interview speaks about the "drawn-out" 
[a:], as in "vast" [va:st].  I heard the majority of "ordinary" people say 
[æ:] ([væ:st], as in American, and as opposed to "vest" [ve:\st]), also 
[hæ:n] for my surname (unlike Americans, almost all of whom correctly 
pronounce it [ha:n]).

There are four phonological features that I find far more striking in 
Australian and New Zealand speech:

(1) short /e/ -> [e(:\)] -- e.g., bed [be(:\)d], bet [be(:\)t], ten 
[t_he(:\)n]
     (elsewhere [bEd], [bEt], [t_hEn])*

(2) short /a/ -> [E] -- e.g., bad [bE(:\)d], bat [bEt], tan [t_hE(:\)n]
     (elsewhere [bæ:\d], [bæt], [t_hæ:\n])**

(3) /ou/ -> [e:\w] ~ [e:\W] -- e.g., bout [be:\wt] ~ [be:\Wt],
     town [t_he:\w] ~ [t_he:\Wn]**
     (elsewhere [baUt], [taUn], etc.)

(4) /ar/ -> [a:] -- e.g., car [k_ha:], hard [ha:d] (between [a:] and 
[æ:])****
     (elsewhere [k_hQ:], [k_ha:\r], [hQ:d], [ha:\rd])

* Some Midwestern Americans use this vowel in "egg" [?e:\g] (as opposed to 
[?E(:\)g]).

** I listened to Canadian political discussions this morning and was 
reminded that some Canadians pronounce this [a:] (bad [ba:\d], tan 
[t_ha:\n], etc.), much as in Scots and Scottish English.  This and some 
other features give a distinct Scottish tint to these dialects.

*** This is found in some dialects of Southern England as well, also in some 
coastal dialects of North Saxon of Germany, including North Hamburg dialects 
(e.g., kou <Koh> [k_he:\w] 'cow').

**** This is also a feature in some dialects in and around London (England) 
and Boston (Massachussets) as well as in some North Saxon dialects of 
Germany.

ha:tfelt rI"ga:ds,
Reinhard/Ron 

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