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@Pistanator
I stand corrected:
Don't AQI with me!
AQI is a rising inflection at the end of a question - or a statement! I quote from a sociolinguistic survey from 1989:
[INDENT]Australian Questioning Intonation
AQI is used more by working class than middle class, teenagers than adults, people under 20 (6 times more) than people over 20 and females than males
AQI may denote uncertainty and deference but has other functions as well, e.g. in narratives and among peers
The primary function of AQI is to seek verification of the listener's comprehension.
[/INDENT]Other sources suggest that approval, rather than verification, is sought.
AQI and my reaction to it is mirrored here by Gina Snowdoll; briefly the AQI (also known as HRT: High Rise Terminal) which was quite mild and almost charming -- especially in the New Zealand accent -- has now been strengthened in its spread around the youth of Europe and probably everywhere else. I still can't decide whether its use in London means that people are unsure of every statement they make or perhaps they are not certain that they will be comprehended: a passive-aggressive insult to the listener. Uncertainty is also manifested in the USA by inserting "sort of", "like" and "kinda" in every statement and this habit has spread here too. The effect is that one is unsure what kind of response is being sought: agreement, information, approval? Who can say. They undermine everything they say. It's frustrating. It blocks communication.