text: Roehampton Uni's trainees told to avoid sounding like Aussie soap stars
  Origin of the Australian upwards inflection is unknown
  Popularity of soaps like Neigbours thought to be to blame
  Published: 14:00 EDT, 14 February 2014 | Updated: 14:03 EDT, 14 February 2014
  With its upward tone at the end of a sentence, 'upspeak' has become an increasingly familiar sound since Neighbours arrived on our televisions in the mid-1980s.
  But the spread of the irritating habit among Britons has led to one university effectively banning it among trainee teachers.
  Teacher training candidates at the University of Roehampton in south-west London have been told to avoid sounding like Charlene or Scott – played by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan – at all costs during interviews with academics.
  A parent who accompanied their daughter on a recent open day for a course starting in September said: 'Towards the end of the afternoon, the co-ordinator said she wanted to offer a few tips about the interview process that would begin once all the applications have been submitted.
  'It turned out she had only one main tip – avoid upspeak. She stressed the point vigorously.'
  The origins of upspeak – also known as uptalk, high rising terminal or Australian question intonation – are unclear.
  Studies have suggested its roots actually lie in New Zealand or from the west coast of the US. Stephen Fry described it as the 'language of the Sunny Delight generation' and said he 'barely knows anyone under 20 who doesn't use it'.
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  But it is ridiculed for making those who use it sound uncertain or over-eager not to offend.
  A similar proportion warned that it would damage the prospect of a move up the corporate ladder or access to a new pay grade.
  Only 16 per cent said they would be able to ignore an upward intonation at the end of sentences and focus purely on a candidate's aptitude, while 44 per cent said they would mark interviewees down by as much as a third because of the way they spoke.
  Report author Harry Key, a voice techniques expert, said that the habit is becoming increasingly common in the UK, particularly among teenagers.
  'Speaking in definite or indefinite tones doesn't just sound different, it feels different and will affect the way the speaker is perceived,' he said. 'The message is clear – if you know what you're talking about and want to be respected for it, you need to sound like you know it.'
  Australian soaps such as The Sullivans and The Young Doctors were imported to Britain from the 1970s but the cultural watershed came when Neighbours arrived in 1986.
  The programme paved the way for Home and Away three years later and other hit series such as Prisoner. But as well as providing a taste of life Down Under, the soaps brought us upspeak.