What Is Uptalk?
Written by: Anna Pasternak / Voice Therapy / July 15, 2020 / 5 minutes read
You may not be aware of what uptalk is but it refers to the rising intonation in the end of sentences.
But why is up talk even important to mention? Well... when it comes to women’s voices and how they communicate, especially in professional settings, it may spark your interest. Naturally when we speak our intonation rises at the end of questions excluding WH questions where our intonation actually falls. Intonation meaning ‘pitch’ should also fall at the end of statements to let the listener know that you are either finished speaking, or have made a statement and not asked a question.
Some people may be monotone where they do not have too much pitch variation in their voice. When someone is monotone it may be difficult to know if the person is asking a question, making a statement or how excited they are about something. When we are excited or happy our pitch tends to go up whereas if we were extremely sad we may talk a lot more with our pitch going down throughout our statements.
When uptalk is used continuously in someone's speech, it may seem as they are constantly asking questions when they may be wanting to make statements. For example, “ We should do it this way?” with the intonation going up at the end may seem like a question and the person coming off unsure of themselves. Where if they spoke with their intonation going down at the end of the sentence “ We should do it this way.”, this would let their listener know that they have made up their mind and are choosing a certain option. Below is an example of a YouTube video that demonstrates how up talk may sound (listen to the speakers impression of her American accent):
Did you hear her speaking with a rising intonation at the end of her sentences? If so, have you heard this type of speech before when thinking about people you have met or you know?
Uptalk is often used by women though it is not solely only women as men have been found to use it as well. Women may tend to use it more frequently especially in a workplace where they may not want to be direct or step on someone's toes. When someone uses uptalk at work they may sound uncertain when making their own statements and this can take away from how confident they are portrayed by others. Women who are trying to get into leadership roles should be conscious of their intonation and whether they are using upspeak, as they may not always be taken seriously in the corporate world. It has been found that many women entering leadership roles in today’s day and age tend to have a deeper stronger voice, in order to compete with men in the workplace. If a woman is looking to enter an important role in the company it is important that when she speaks she is heard and respected by her coworkers and employees. Women who have voices that are soft and constantly high in pitch may not be taken as seriously, more often interrupted, and not always listened to. Nobody wants to be talked over or feel overlooked just because others may see them as less significant due to the impression some might have of their voice.
If you are having difficulties in this area and would like to work with a Speech Pathologist and learn more about how you can change your voice we are here to help. We have worked with many clients who have been in this situation and felt like they are unheard in their professional lives. We have seen these individuals progress through appropriate voice therapy, that helped meet their needs and gain their voices back.
To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.
