Annoying voices

Are you irritated by some accents/voice intonations? I think I have posted before about this, but I have an extreme aversion to 'up-talk' or the high-rise terminal (HRT). Teenagers, particularly girls, speak like this a lot, but so do many 20 and 30 somethings now. Every statement is spoken as if it were a question, giving off an air of uncertainty, as if they expect you to disagree with them. As someone with Aspergers, I like certainty and formal speech, but up-talk leaves me feeling confused and unclear. I get stressed when people talk like this, and end up not believing what they say, because it is so vague. I understand that language and accents change, but I can't help opposing up-talk. It goes against the way my brain is wired: certainty is replaced by endless questions, which are not meant to be questions.

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  • Yes, totally... you're talking about a specific vocal 'act' that anybody can do, and I can understand how it adds that element of frustrating vagueness, people apparently turning a phrase which would be a statement into a question.

    I find it strange sometimes talking to people in person as I fixate so intensely upon their words - I find myself thinking about how speech is actually produced - i.e. through breath, and the manipulation of it through physical 'machinery' biological in nature.

    It can be quite surreal thinking about the tongue and throat when somebody is trying to make a point about something to get you to focus on that.

    It is such an intricate process, with so many parts - I find my attention wondering.

    Sometimes I just want to laugh at things like this for no discernable reason, and I know it would appear strange. I generally manage to stifle these 'giggles' when they're happening, but my brother doesn't seem to be able to - or isn't interested in doing.

    He just laughs out loud at something in his own head - it's actually really frustrating, I want to know what's so funny! Smile

    Also, can get paranoid he's laughing at me, or something I've done.

    That was what happened a little while ago when me and my support worker visited my brother.

    He (Tom - my brother) just started chuckling to himself, mid-conversation with the three of us, and I didn't think anything of it, as I'm totally used to it... then I noticed Sean (my support worker) was looking puzzled and maybe a little worried, like he might have done something wrong, so I had to explain to him:

    'Tom just laughs at stuff randomly sometimes. Don't worry about it.'

    Pretty silly, huh? Smile

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  • Yes, totally... you're talking about a specific vocal 'act' that anybody can do, and I can understand how it adds that element of frustrating vagueness, people apparently turning a phrase which would be a statement into a question.

    I find it strange sometimes talking to people in person as I fixate so intensely upon their words - I find myself thinking about how speech is actually produced - i.e. through breath, and the manipulation of it through physical 'machinery' biological in nature.

    It can be quite surreal thinking about the tongue and throat when somebody is trying to make a point about something to get you to focus on that.

    It is such an intricate process, with so many parts - I find my attention wondering.

    Sometimes I just want to laugh at things like this for no discernable reason, and I know it would appear strange. I generally manage to stifle these 'giggles' when they're happening, but my brother doesn't seem to be able to - or isn't interested in doing.

    He just laughs out loud at something in his own head - it's actually really frustrating, I want to know what's so funny! Smile

    Also, can get paranoid he's laughing at me, or something I've done.

    That was what happened a little while ago when me and my support worker visited my brother.

    He (Tom - my brother) just started chuckling to himself, mid-conversation with the three of us, and I didn't think anything of it, as I'm totally used to it... then I noticed Sean (my support worker) was looking puzzled and maybe a little worried, like he might have done something wrong, so I had to explain to him:

    'Tom just laughs at stuff randomly sometimes. Don't worry about it.'

    Pretty silly, huh? Smile

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