People posting on TikTok have developed their own accents, which experts say could be “the future of English.”
Linguistics expert Christopher Strelluf, a professor at the University of Warwick, revealed that the new accent includes “uptalk”, a rising intonation in declarative sentences, and “vocal fry”, a low, gravelly tone in vowels.
He revealed that TikTok conversations are particularly associated with young women, claiming that the new accent has been driven by female influencers and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears.
Meanwhile, Dr. Laura Bailey, senior lecturer in English language and linguistics at the University of Kent, told FEMAIL that the slower, more deliberate speaking style was used to “hold the floor so people keep watching”.
The TikTok accent, also called TikTalk or internet voice, is when influencers use a vlogger-style voice, meaning everyone sounds the same regardless of their original accent.
People on TikTok have developed their own accent, pioneered by Kim Kardashian (pictured) and Britney Spears, which could be “the future of English”, according to language expert Christopher Strelluf
Christopher revealed that the creators use uptalk because it sounds more personable and convincing, and use vocal fry as a “strategy to keep the floor.”
Speaking to National World, Christopher said that women are often “linguistic innovators”, adding: “The way young women use language is the future of language development.” Hence all the changes we hear from young women , probably the future of English.”
He added: “We also use uptalk as a politeness strategy. “Sometimes when we tell people to do something or tell them something unpleasant, we use uptalk to tone it down a little.”
Dr. Explaining this, Laura Bailey said: “All of this comes from the genre: a person speaks into a camera and someone has to speak up to get people to keep watching (which is the main point of TikTok).”
“They may use a slower and more deliberate speaking style than if they were talking to friends in person, and this can result in a lower pitch and more voice breakage.”
“Both are generally viewed as authoritative and positive traits when speakers who are already perceived as authoritative do so (e.g., older, male speakers). But when young women speak in a certain way and behave confidently, it is criticized.
“Another way to hold the floor is to use what is known as uptalk, as it involves the audience as an active participant and checks whether they join in and agree.”
“I don't think any of this is new to social media, but TikTok encourages a lot more people to broadcast than YouTube or even Instagram, so we're finding new styles, subgenres and style characteristics of those subgenres.”
Britney Spears (pictured) is known for using “uptalk,” a rising intonation in declarative sentences, and “vocal fry,” a low, gravelly tone in vowels
Journalist Sophia Smith Galer from London demonstrated exactly what these two functions sound like in a TikTok clip
Journalist Sophia Smith Galer from London demonstrated exactly what these two functions sound like in a TikTok clip.
She explained that TikTokers often use these features to engage their audience and not sound condescending.
She said, “Maybe we respond linguistically to what we think will work well in the algorithm.”
She also noted in an article for BBC Future that during her own training as a radio presenter she was given the tip to “never sound like you're finishing a sentence”, which is known as “uptalk”.
Research by American linguist William Labov, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has found that men tend to lag behind women by a whole generation when it comes to language changes.
Gretchen McCulloch, linguist and author of “Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language,” told the English Language Institute that the language and behavior of teenage girls has a huge impact on our culture.
He said: “We still don’t know exactly why young women reliably lead linguistic innovations.”
“Maybe it’s nature, maybe it’s nurture; However, we know that young women tend to be more socially aware, more empathetic and more concerned about how their peers perceive them.
“This could lead to a greater opportunity for language disruption.” Women also tend to have larger social networks, meaning they are more likely to be exposed to a greater variety of language innovations.”