Meaning of uptalk | Babel Free

Definitions

Speech that has a rising intonation at the end of a sentence, as if it were a question; upspeak.

uncountable

Examples

“The sorority members' own⟳ interpretation of uptalk was that it was a way of being inclusive.”

“Once used exclusively by teenagers, uptalk is increasingly found in the workplace with negative results. When statements sound⟳ like⟳ questions, speakers seem weak and tentative. […] On the job, managers afflicted by uptalk may have⟳ difficulty convincing staff members to follow⟳ directions because their voice inflection implies that other valid options are possible.”

“As a working definition, uptalk is taken in this book to be a marked rising intonation pattern found at the ends of intonation units realised on declarative utterances, and which serves primarily to check comprehension or to seek⟳ feedback. This definition provides a lot of leeway, but at the same time constrains the possible scope of uptalk. The leeway is necessary because, as we will see⟳ in later discussion, the shape⟳ of uptalk is variable and quite possibly differs from one variety of English to another.”

CEFR level