Aussie kids using American style tonal characteristics

Trimac20   Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:09 am GMT
It's kind of hard to explain without actually vocalizing, but I notice many younger Australians speaking with a basically Aussie accent (even then with some American features) but in a tone that is dead ringer for American. I'm talking about the pitch change and prosodic features. I'm sure you know the particular tone I'm talking about, I hear it from most Americans under the age of 45 and many older than that. Maybe there's a few tones, but I'm wondering if anyone has noticed this.

I also notice that the tonal characteristics of Australians has changed even more markedly (almost completely, in some cases) than the actual accent.
Your thoughts?
agravated   Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:28 pm GMT
If you're referring to the rise in pitch at the end of sentences or phrases, then I hope no one else has taken up the habit. To me its obnoxious. It sounds as though the speaker is guessing and not commited to his/her opinion. Whatever the reason, I don't much care for it.
John   Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:08 pm GMT
"I'm sure you know the particular tone I'm talking about"

No I don't. Care to provide some examples?
Trimac20   Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:43 am GMT
I think it's what agravated is referring to: like a rise in pitch that sounds kinda like the speaker is uncertain. If you've heard enough American people speak you'll know what it is.
TaylorS   Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:45 pm GMT
Oh No, "Up-Speak has spread to Oz? The HORROR!!!
Milton   Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:38 pm GMT
Intonation

Excessive use of high rising terminal is common in valspeak. Statements have rising intonation, causing normal declarative language to appear to the listener as interrogative. This is also known as "uptalking", and is similar to the Australian Questioning Intonation (or AQI).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valspeak
Trawicks   Wed Sep 09, 2009 1:34 pm GMT
This is not an American feature, but rather an intonational pattern common to certain dialects. It's quite noticeable in Australian English, and even more extreme in Belfast and Liverpool.
NM   Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:19 pm GMT
I have noticed that many things that are recognised as being uniquely American are in fact not so. This is one such example. Many people are often surprised to find out that the Irish are just as, if not more religious than most Americans.
Trimac20   Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:43 pm GMT
Yes Milton it is similar to 'AQI' but there are subtle differences. Either way, excessive use of either can be annoying imo.

Actually one thing that annoys me about Irish and some English and Scottish accents is the monotonous nature of the rising: indeed I have spoken to some Northern Irish and they seem to basically have only one tone pattern to their speech, although it doesn't seem to limit expressiveness to a great degree. One thing I like about RP is it's relatively atonal, putting more emphasis on the stress of words.