uptalk

American  

[uhp-tawk] / ˈʌpˌtɔk /

noun

1. a rise in pitch at the end usually of a declarative sentence, especially if habitual: often represented in writing by a question mark as in

   Hi, I'm here to read the meter?

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uptalk British  

/ ˈʌpˌtɔːk /

noun

1. a style of speech in which every sentence ends with a rising tone, as if the speaker is always asking a question

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Etymology

Origin of uptalk

First recorded in 1990–95; up- ( def. ) + talk ( def. ). Uptalk was first noted especially among teenage girls and young women, though it is used among the general population

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

uptalk

Chandler phrased thoughts as if he were asking a question, a variation of rising uptalk.

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

But there's another equally hated speech feature that is achieved at the other end: the high-rising terminal intonation pattern, or "uptalk."

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2022

After reading and rereading “What Is a Question?” and struggling to write this column, my thoughts all begin taking the form of uptalk?

From Scientific American ● Aug. 7, 2021

But while a space analogue to uptalk might strike Earthlings as strange, it wouldn’t hinder communication that much.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2020

In considering her manner of speaking, I thought of vocal fry, and uptalk, and Margaret Thatcher taking speech lessons so that her voice would sound more authoritative, which ended up meaning “more masculine.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 2019