[KyleGoetz]

Originally Posted by cranks

OK. It's her.
YouTube - (Nike×YOU) 居てない居てない YOU! 居てたーん
Again, she's nothing higher than, say, Paris Hilton, pitch wise. Do you find her voice high in this video also?

Are you suggesting that in the US it is as prevalent to raise your voice intentionally and hold it there constantly? I think you're using one definition of "pitch" and I'm using another. It's probably where the confusion is.

Oh, and you think her voice is the same pitch as this: YouTube - The Late Show With David Letterman - Paris Hilton Interview

I asked two other people here: they disagree with you, as do I.

And honestly, it really does seem like you're trying to argue that this phenomenon does not exist, or at least is exactly the same in the US. Every time I point out someone, you tell me someone in the US who does this, too. But it is absolutely not the case, and I say this as someone who has lived in Japan and the US, that this raising of the voice (or some sort of vocal calisthenics I don't have jargon for) is as widespread in the US.

Maybe I'll stop using the word "pitch" here to end confusion. There is some additional pitch/nasal/something quality to these TV personalities' voices in Japan. I don't know a proper linguistic term for it, but it's there. When I try to imitate it, I think my soft palette raises up, my vocal cords tighten, I take on more of a head voice than chest voice, and my tongue lowers abnormally in my mouth. But this is just a guess, since I'm in a library and can't exactly attempt to imitate it right now.

Well if 99% of females in Tokyo don't affect high voice, maybe they want some exaggerated characters on TV? 小倉優子 is using the girly accent for sure but physically, her pitch isn't that high.

OK, let's table the "pitch" thing. You and I seem to be on the page that there is some sort of intentional affectation here.

Dude, that's THE famous Anime voice actress who is known for her supersonic voice. You can't get more Anime than that.

That's irrelevant. Are you saying it's natural, or she does it intentionally? If she does it intentionally, that cuts right to the heart of my question: why?

edit: I'm not "denying" the "phenomenon" exists, I'm just saying it's probably not the pitch itself, but rather their accent.

OK, I think we are on the same page.

Drawling the end of a sentence and rising its pitch high is a signature of Tokyo young girl accent. Notice 小倉優子 is doing it in pretty much all of the sentences? This doesn't make you look very smart and is rather girly so guys don't do it very much but rising of the pitch at the end of a sentence itself is one legitimate way of emphasizing.

Well, maybe not. I am decidedly not talking about a rising intonation at the end of sentences.

What are your qualifications? Are you a native speaker? Live in Japan for a while?

I think there's some miscommunication going on here, because everyone else seems to be talking about the same thing as I, while you keep talking about something else. I am likely not adequately explaining the issue in a way that everyone can understand it.