Cross-Cultural Conversations

Observations by a Malaysian studying in Australia

The Newscaster Laugh

News broadcasters have this tendency to make a little giggle when they’re chatting with their colleague as they wrap up the news. It’s not a giggle per se, it’s a giggle which they include simultaneously with their speech, characterised by the ‘shaking’ of the words, disrupted by the ‘giggle’ no doubt.

 I think they’re probably forced by the producers to insert the giggle to make the otherwise sombre affair of newsreading a bit more lively and human. But it just sounds so fake.

Regular TV channels do it as well when a voice comes up at the end of a program to announce a comedy. “Be sure to catch another riveting episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch next week. Now, catch Ray and his family battle it out on << insert fake giggle >> Everybody Loves Raymond, coming up next”. Ray Romano can’t be that funny for you to elicit a laugh just by mentioning his name.

posted by: Tembaga2 at 18:42 | link | comments |