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From: ludemann@netcom.com (Peter Ludemann)
Subject: Re: Differences between American + British english
Message-ID: <ludemannD80nwJ.MEG@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <795681149snz@duntone.demon.co.uk> <3mph1r$oca@venus.roc.csci.csc.com> <rte-2004951816330001@mac-118.lz.att.com> <3nfg77$2a6@fido.asd.sgi.com>
Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 19:09:54 GMT
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Sender: ludemann@netcom9.netcom.com

In article <3nfg77$2a6@fido.asd.sgi.com>,
Jon Livesey <livesey@solntze.engr.sgi.com> wrote:
>In article <rte-2004951816330001@mac-118.lz.att.com>, 
>rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards) writes:
>>
>> Some US newsreaders speak in an artificial manner, but in no sense 
>> is it so divorced from normal speech.
>
>I'm astonished to see you write this.   My observation
>is that US news and weather announcers have a habit of 
>breathing in a way that ignores punctutation and destroys 
>the meaning of what they read.    Like this:
>
>    "The temperature today will be ninety-five and
>    tomorrow.     There will be rain showers while
>    on Thursday.       We expect hail and snow and
>    bright sunshine again.     On Friday".

You forgot to mention that they also either speak through their nose
(women broadcasters... I'm told that this is an attempt at "voice
projection") or they mumble (male broadcasters).  These two traits
seem to be related to the lack of vowels: e.g., weather announcers
refer to "a hat day".  [I draw my observations from the "most popular"
newsbroadcasters in the San Francisco area.]

Definitely sounds like regular American speech to me. :-)



-- 
Peter Ludemann                      ludemann@netcom.com
