This kind of speech pattern is common amongst younger television announcers/commentators. Children these days arent even taught it anymore, and should they actually receive a hand-written note, they act as if they are translating some strange foreign sandscript language, to even try and read it. I respectfully disagree. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 2) I cant stand the making every sentence sound like a question- I would never have understood your point until I saw a commercial during which a delighted homeowner, commenting on a home makeover, said (the most overused word in English as) amazinggah!. Its a strange phenomenon in my mind, but of course trends come and go. Also, some news reporters will pepper their stories with obviously. Many shop assistants think they are being kind referring to me as Sweetheart or Hun. Oh brother, Frankie! I realize its really too early to be voting for Most Annoying for 2021, but this ones definitely been frosting my butt. National faves: Jack Speer, Megna Chakhrabarti, Terry Gross National do-not-calls: Kai Ryssdal, Charlie Pierce sunnymentoaddict 6 yr. ago That holds true for the sources NPR interviews on the air, just as it does for the voices of correspondents and hosts. Thats my new pet peeve and I wish I knew a way to counsel him on it! Drives me nuts! I hope youll be disturbed too. Other times I believe people fall into a speech pattern comfortable to them without questioning the outcomes of or reactions to their words, phrasing & delivery. Its the teacher and college professors that are spreading this annoying trend. My goodness! This may be better: He wrote to us about his experience hearing reporters who did not sound like he does. Now that youve become painfully aware of my top five annoying speech patterns, please share your ownspeech pattern pet peeves. You guys seems to be winning in the USA, so if it bothers you, Im afraid youre out of luck. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Can you comment on a growing trend of, what one person termed, manufactured precision diction? . This is currently the speech trend that is driving me insane, even more so sometimes than vocal fry, which really bugs me. I think its lazy not to pronounce words correctly. During her 10-year tenure as Artistic Director, Lean & Hungry's shows were heard on public radio stations in 8 states and the District of Columbia, with an estimated audience of 42,000 listeners for each show. If someone speaks in numbered bullet points, such as, Firstly_____, and second then they wish to sound more educated than they are. Is it to have a snippet of time before responding? The other annoyance is when someone announces this is a problem as this? Many men do this also, although its usually not as noticeable as creaky voice in women, because mens voice are deeper to begin with so the pitch drop doesnt contrast as much with their normal pitch/phonation. It may have developed independently in both places. ! Fry here and there. Just as NPR's reporting can expose listeners to new ideas, listening to national radio is an opportunity to hear voices from many backgrounds. At first, I thought maybe he was just discovering a new feature in the product he is explaining but it has become clear it is just something he blurts out every few minutes. Thank you so much, Debbie and Baz! I find this is a topic worth discussing in a public forum, not to berate anyone for their colloquial style of speaking, but to intelligently address the issues with poor speech. It may have been the one I just quoted. I get all excited about what Im telling, when he suddenly blurts out, Finish a sentence! I am confounded; I get angry; I reiterate, for the umpteenth time, I cant help it! People who do not know the difference between fewer and less and when to use them correctly. much more easily. Its kinda crazy, right? Its sort of a way to soften, to be kind of vague, imprecise and uncommitted. Part One: Into the Digital Era, Voice Over Trends 2022: Hottest Marketing Trends You Dont Want to Miss, Emotional Branding: The Power of Emotional Video Narratives, The Brand Anthem: What It Is, Why You Need One, An embarrassment in front of mom, dad or the general public, Unfit for any position that pays more than minimum wage. I think it was around this time that the issue of vocal fry came to the foreground on NPR. Good English dictates brevity as a virtue; much, is redundant here. Unfortunately its very prevalent down here in Australia. We all must remember to keep our minds sharp and active. All the best to you in navigating our wonderful world of words! (Smirk. Its pervasive with men and women. Every second word she spoke that ended in a consonant had that ah at the end of it. After Sanders and his panelists discussed a mysterious case of American diplomats in Cuba suffering from a possibly psychosomatic illness, listeners wrote that his tone had been too light-hearted for a serious subject. 1. Ive noticed the upward shift in tone can be as much as an octave. I feel more rested? Its like an italian accent, but not that exactly cuz i can resist the italian english accent, but not this habit my friends do cuz i know theyre not italian. Its become hugelycommon, even among expert speakers during formal interviews (just listen to NPR while various experts are interviewed). EVERY FRICKIN interview has yeah yeah yeah!, more and more in the past 6 or so months. I cant understand why newscasters emphasize random words (often times its a verb) No, sorry. So what if someone tags right at the end of their sentence? Its good to see I am not. I change channels whenever I hear it. Thats the main reason why most adults eventually decide its in their best interests to lose the bad habits. I first heard this on a home decorating tv show. She has received a few emails about her voice from listeners, including one that said she didn't sound certain saying her own name, which she briefly addressed in a Planet Money segment. I am relieved to find this list because listening to NPR has become impossible. Its hard to come up with additional topics, since so many of the biggies were already discussed. Stories on NPR and This American Life have tackled the phenomenon of "vocal fry," that creaky sound you hear when the voice drops to its lowest register. Youre not insane. And singing involves a Melody AND talent. She has performed in television, film, stage, voiceovers, and commercials. When I meet a person under the age of 40 who does not speak in this manner, I am surprised and delighted, and will go out of my way to let them know how much I appreciate their ability to communicate properly. But its when I hear someone who has the astonishing ability to combine those two very irritating trends, as well as throwing in the recent social media driven pointless inane phrases so; I feel like, OMG! etc, that I terminate my involvement in the conversation immediately. Who is telling people to jut their bottom jaw out and keep their tongue from going past their teeth? Having a predilection for languages & words, combined with being a professional presenter for most of life, my ear is sensitive to all uses of phrasology; blue, high tone, trends, slang, group ID, annoying & more. Over the past few decades we have grown more to accept/tolerate each others personal shortcomings in professional places. Why, just why? The kind of/sort of pattern I first noticed about 8-10 years ago and it was my old pet peeve; maybe Ive grown used to it by now. I get annoyed when people on TV or radio speak too quickly while also using fillers such as umm or uh. Yes!! OMG! So, like, gag me with a spoon, you know? There are so many of these annoying speech patterns and they are contagious. All of this is annoying- up talk, vocal fry, So. Stop adding, subtracting, and manipulating language to influence or control the listener. No statement can ever, ever stand on its own without an intensifier. We dont really distinguish the middle short e and middle short I in speech. Jessica Hansen has one of the most annoying deliveries I can ever recall hearing from an announcernot only on NPR, but in the world of broadcasting. Isnt it enough that we can send a message in an instant without having to wait for a cursive written letter to arrive in weeks, but make it even faster with short cut spelling to arrive in a matter of seconds? You missed uh, um, well you know( the three words used together). I hope that there will be some attention paid to restoring some respect for our language in generations to come. Most of us know the way we speak may change depending what social situation were in. ARGH!!!! "It has expanded my own understanding of the world and the people you have brought on board are excellent," he wrote. He has become hyper-sensitive to even the most polite criticism, and I blame this solely on our P.C. Not sure if it has anything to do with trying to be overly sensitive or PC or whatever about things and needing to couch language. (Thats okay, Verla. OMG! Its good to know my husband and I arent the only ones who feel this way about how people are speaking lately. I have a friend who can code switch very well. would. I work with someone who is very intelligent in general, and very knowledgeable about the subject hes presenting but he has this annoying halting speech pattern. Fast forward to 2020 and, although I love shows about animals like the various zoo reality shows on Animal Planet, I cannot watch the one based out of Australia. Seriously, though, get that ignorant, superficial, pseudointellectual sentence-padding out of here. An article in England stated that bosses would not employ anyone who used this phrasing, as they felt that they were unsure of themselves. There are some new kids on the block this year: In these trying times. If I hear this on TV I change the channel. Its easy to overlook poor speech when an attractive face is delivering the information. 3. For me, the whole So thing is one of these pet peeves that makes me want to smash whatever device Im hearing the word played upon. Ive pointed out the mistake to my grandchildren who acknowledge the correction but later continue to say me and him. Even more annoying is the public speakers misuing the pronouns. Right!? "If you sound like America, then it's America that's talking. "We ought to be able to hear all of that in the voices that the audience is hearing, whether that voice is the voice of somebody in a community somewhere in the middle of the country or that voice is the voice of a host or reporter for NPR. Adding an additional, unnecessary syllable to certain words for emphasis: no becomes no-ah and hello turns into hello-ah.. as though the speaker just had to get rid of that extra bit of air, and vocalize it. Im glad to discover I am not alone. Thanks for commenting Doyle, thats a new one I havent noticed yet. thank you again for such a thoughtful response. "I thought it felt strange to have a voice that did not sound like me reporting on the most powerful people in the world. 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