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http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/12/the-linguistics-of-youtube-voice/418962/
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So the other day, I was watching this YouTube video from the PBS Idea Channel about whether Ron Weasley from Harry Potter is really a time-traveling Dumbledore (as you do), and I realized—the guy talking sounds exactly like the Vlogbrothers. The Vlogbrothers are John and Hank Green, and their combined YouTube channel, on which they post videos of themselves musing on and explaining everything from world politics to farts, has more than 2 million subscribers.
And the guy in the PBS Ronbledore video—Mike Rugnetta—was talking just like the Green brothers do. It wasn’t a matter of their accents, or the sound of their voices, it was the way they were talking. The only word that came to mind was … bouncy.
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To my ears, it's akin to the voice some people use with small children to try to get them excited about some suggestion – "Children, let's ALL get out our CRAYONS and DRAW a PICTURE of our VERY FAVORITE PERSON! Won't that be FUN?" – a sort of false bonhomie. The presenters want us to know that they know that we know they're talking piffle, but it's very clever piffle. The video is then speeded up, and any gaps are cut out. I don't think there's a word for this, but I'd love to be wrong.
It's my understanding that the more popular YouTube channels are fairly lucrative. I would think that if they were to film WordsWorth and publish that on YouTube, WordsWorthVideo would provide additional revenue for WordsWorthRadio and support the primary mission.
I'm in favor of that. It sorta fits Johnson's Law: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money," and I don't consider the landlords to be dimwits.
Additionally, James Kilpatrick's columns in later years focused on writing well, and it's my impression that they were highly popular. I know I miss them since he died. If someone here wants to become the Kilpo pf YouTube, collecting egregious errors, making fun of them, and teaching better writing, I'd sure be happy to subscribe.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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