Do people talk differently in old movies?

I watch a lot of old flicks, and people definitely talk differently on them. I know slang, usage, and even some grammar has changed over time, and today’s vocabulary differs from the past’s. There have also been linguistic shifts in regional dialects, and class accents are constantly evolving, the sort of thing linguists study. But I’m talking about the rhythm and phrasing of everyday speech; the cadences of ordinary conversation. I definitely can detect differences, I just can’t quite put my finger on how to describe them.

Some of this may very well be due to different acting styles, the move from stage to screen, silents to talkies, and the shift to broadcasting. I’m sure the use of radio, and later, TV, influenced diction, too. All these media must have had varying technical requirements and standards for voice–to ensure accurate communication, dramatic effect or comic timing, particularly in the absence of gesture and other visual cues.

But I also think there is more to it than that. Listen to dialog in an old movie, dialog that is supposed to reproduce ordinary conversation, and it is clear nobody today would talk like that.

Today’s speech seems more curt, clipped, concise. It is more economical, and the timing seems changed, even though it may be clear and easily understood. There is definitely a difference in style. This is even the case among educated, professional speakers conversing in formal circumstances with cultured voices. Or am I making this all up? Keep in mind, the changes in vocalization I am hinting at here would not stand out in samples of written text.

I solicit your contributions.