There is something about the way young people talk today. I’m not sure whether its an actual shift in pronunciation, (languages do this periodically) or if I’m just making it all up or imagining it, but it appears to me young adults are altering the way English is spoken.

No, I’m not talking about vocabulary or slang. That is to be expected. When I was a twenty- or thirtysomething I was well aware I spoke differently than the folks from my parents’ generation. There was a slang associated with baby boomer kids, particularly exaggerated among college types and hippies, and it soon spread to other cohorts of the youth population.

Neither am I talking about a regional or ethnic or class twinge to their accent, or a difference attributable to educational level. That does happen, but its not what I’m referring to here. I’m talking about a distinctive rhythm and cadence, a change in the phrasing of the language. Young folks today seem to talk in a clipped, and rapid fire fashion, in brief bursts and in short, economical sentences. They speak clearly and distinctly, usually grammatically, and are easy to understand, but it sounds different. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it is very noticeable to me, even if I can’t articulate exactly why. Maybe it has something to do with social media, or texting behavior, maybe typing conversationally has influenced the way the language is spoken. I don’t know, but its there.

Young women have their own sub-dialect. Very often they end each sentence with a rising inflection, as if they were asking a question, curious if you understood them, or seeking your approval for what they just said. Everybody does this occasionally, but it has become so common and so often now I find it quite annoying.

Is it just me, or am I on to something? I’ve gotten to the point where I can hear someone on the radio and I can immediately tell if they are a yout’.

Is it just me?