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Study: 'Uptalk' Spreads From Valley Girls To Young Men

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Upspeak was on display in the 1995 movie "Clueless" about Beverly Hills teenagers. (Paramount Pictures)
Uptalk was on display in the 1995 movie "Clueless" about Beverly Hills teenagers. (Paramount Pictures)

When there is an upward inflection at the end of a sentence, as if it were a question, that's called uptalk or upspeak. It's often referred to as talking like a “valley girls.”

But a new study presented at the Acoustical Society of America by researcher Amanda Ritchart has found that uptalk in Southern California has spread to young men.

Carey Goldberg, co-host of WBUR's CommonHealth blog, joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson and Robin Young to talk about uptalk?

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This segment aired on December 4, 2013.

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