I knew words would change during my lifetime. I am not surprise If grammar changes or that ebonics exists. But changing the meaning of the question mark inflection is something that caught me by surprise. For some reason I though inflections were longer lasting than words. The upward rising question mark inflections are increasingly being thrown into the middle and end of statements. In my youth this was only done to express uncertainty or perhaps to express submissiveness. Now I am constantly hearing question inflections thrown into statements. I was just listening to a speech and the Woman giving the speech seemed like she wanted to be authoritative but she could not stop throwing those question inflection in places where they did not belong as if she was a shy scared cutsie 13 year old girl. I know this is not new and it was discussed as coming from Southern California Valley Girl speech in the 1980s. But I am in Northern California and this is still getting more and more common. This question inflection in statements is mostly coming from young California women, but I have heard it from men and older women and I have heard it outside California from people who have never been in California. I wonder when the growing trend of throwing question mark inflections into statements will stop; or will it never stop and English will have to find another inflection for questions because the old inflection for questions will just mean "Aren't I cute? Like me please.".
Unnecessary rising inflections in speech. Mate, it's a nationwide afliction in Australia. Very, very widespread and quite disturbing.
