Fast Spreading Virus With No Let Up in Sight
Relax, I’m not talking about H1N1, nor am I referring to any of the myriad of computer related viruses. I am posting about a communication related virus that if left untreated can spread exponentially and become a chronic communication disease. The disease is called Upspeak.
Up speak is speaking declarative sentences with a rising vocal intonation at the end of the sentence rather than a constant or declining tone as is normally associated with a statement. This rising tone makes the allegedly declarative statement sound like a question.
The language based Up Speak disease had its first outbreak in the US during the 1980’s in the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California. The original characterization of Valley Girls initially featured this teeny bopper variety of somewhat ditzy upspeak. Since the initial outbreak, Up Speak has infected and is now practiced, somewhat habitually and perhaps unconsciously, by millions of Americans. Admittedly when someone up speaks to me I make certain assumptions about their level of communication expertise or maturity. Evidently I am not alone in my bias as many employers and business execs tell me that they too react mostly negatively to the symptoms of the disease.
If you are truly interested in helping to curb this disease, ask the next person who up speaks to you “are you telling me or asking me?”
Paul Tasca - http://www.paultasca.com -Author of “Drumming Up Your Career”
