English Versus Itself.

[ANNEE]

There are around 150 traditional language groups in pre-European Australia, and one that slightly differs is the language of the Bardi people at Cape Leveque (One Arm Point) in our lovely north west.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardi_people

Cool 

I think linguistics is interesting. 

I know here in the states native reservations now have classes to learn their dying language. 

When I hear someone speaking a different language from me —- I only think it’s something I don’t know — but could learn to better myself.

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

It's an interesting study. I think the best evidence comes from poetry — what people thought rhymed.

"Another obstacle is the unexplained phenomenon called the Great Vowel Shift, which affected all long vowels in English. During the fifteenth and succeeding centuries, all long vowels in English were raised and fronted, in other words were moved forward and higher in the mouth. ME grene (pronounced grain) became MnE green; ME name (pronounced nahm) became MnE name; ME bone (pronounced bawn) became MnE bone; ME boot (pronounced boat) became MnE boot." 

https://www.agnesscott.edu/english/troil...guage.html

Also some Chaucer here: https://cb45.hsites.harvard.edu/middle-e...nd-grammar

What is also interesting (to me) is that the California vowel shift is recovering some old pronunciation and inventing new ones. 

So...

Green shifts back closer to grain 
Bone shifts to bown.

Other Noted ones include;

Trap to trawp (like in father)
Dress to drass (like in cat)
Kit to ket (like in kettle)
Dude to dewd (lewd)
Duck to deck 
Deck to dick or even dack (like rack)
Boot to bewt (newt)

With a lot of drawn out vowels with a cracking effect. Or fronting and shifting them forward.

It isn't a mystery, as the combination of surfers and valley girls is all you need the explain the current vowel shift, which started out of nowhere in the 80s accompanying Spicoli's Fast Times at Clairemont High School (actual school name). 

I think Hollywood's portrayal of like surfers and stoners and like airheads and junk solidified our dialect. And it's a good example of "WTF?" Vowel shifts... that I can no longer stop myself doing.

[UltraBudgie]

Lol I think you're right that Spicoli was ground zero.

I find the social contagion aspect quite interesting. It's both a habituation and a form of in-group signalling. Usually unconscious but often not. A great example of this has been tracking vocal fry:

Let’s talk about vocal fry, a speech pattern that frequently sparks a lot of debate. You’ve probably heard it before: that low, creaky vibration at the end of a sentence. It’s a vocal habit that people use more often than they realize, and understanding it can help you become a more effective communicator.

Vocal fry, also known as glottal fry or pulse register, is a creaky, croaky, popping sound, usually at the end of phrases. It’s completely natural and part of the full range of your voice.

First you don't notice it, then you notice it in certain groups and contexts, then it begins to connect associatively. At this point, I find it incredibly annoying.

Critics often associate vocal fry with younger generations, particularly millennials. But it’s not unique to this group. Many people grew up hearing vocal fry in media and adopted it as part of their speech patterns. In some cases, vocal fry may also reflect broader cultural trends toward casual, conversational speaking styles.

Interestingly, vocal fry was first recorded in British men in the 1960s. Historians suppose that they were trying to exert a sense of social superiority. Throughout history, other specific speaking styles have risen to prominence as cultural markers. For example, the transatlantic accent of the early 20th century was used to convey sophistication and polish in radio and film, while the exaggerated “valley girl” uptalk/upspeak of the 1980s became a hallmark of certain social groups. Vocal fry could be the latest iteration of a vocal trend that aligns with generational identity and cultural shifts.

The criticism of vocal fry may stem from biases about youth and professionalism. Understanding this context is crucial for a fair evaluation of the speech pattern.

https://www.speeko.co/blog/what-is-vocal-fry

Interesting that it was appropriated from the British! I suspect it also may have been a form of homosexual signalling, like the lisp?

What does it connote to you? For me, it's a clueless self-involved New England millennial girl sort of twang, of the bridge-and-tunnel variety.

[ArMaP]

One thing I have noticed (and that annoys me), both in English and Portuguese (the languages I am most exposed to), is people talking like all sentences end in a question mark.

I noticed that first on the TV series CSI, when they are explaining something, they end the sentence like they are making a question.

[argentus]

One thing I have noticed (and that annoys me), both in English and Portuguese (the languages I am most exposed to), is people talking like all sentences end in a question mark.

I noticed that first on the TV series CSI, when they are explaining something, they end the sentence like they are making a question.

That habit grinds my gears also, ArMap.   I think in most cases it is an affectation, and it annoys me also.