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

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

Given the provisional nature of all knowledge, Emily suggests, uptalk is a more appropriate form of discourse than confident, forceful declarations.

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

Of course, there was a reason young women used uptalk, as linguists would later point out.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2019