On 3/12/2014 1:14 PM, Michael Shoshani wrote:
> On 03/12/2014 01:48 PM, Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
>> Hmmm... So (har), the latest phenomenon I've noticed is something called
>> "creak speak" and it's extremely annoying to me. It is when the
>> speaker's voice croaks at the end of a word or phrase.
>
> Oh, yes. This phenomenon is, for reasons I can't really fathom,
> popularly known as "vocal fry".
It's been a standard vocal ornament among traditional Appalachian
singers for generations. Interesting that it's moving into a new context.
And Tom, it's not just "Coddled" twenty-somethings that are beginning
their sentences with "So". I'm hearing it as much f4om 50-year old
biochemists being interviewed as I am from youngsters. It seems to be a
genuine linguistic shift, and if what's being said on this list is true,
its ambit is much wider than NPR.
Peace,
Paul
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