On the linguistics of Michael Jackson

Agonum, this prob counts as a derail since we all know what Michael's 'hee hee's' sound like so it really doesn't add anything to the discussion but I have to post this. It is imperative. :ROFLMAO:

The Origin of Michael Jackson's Hee Hee
1m 51s

omg i LOVE this channel. they're so interesting and informative with their videos! it's also interesting how much of an influence stevie wonder had on him :love:
 
That’s a well put together video you’ve got there, Zinnia. How do you find all these things?

Some of the ‘hee-hee’s’ in Maybe Your Baby sounds quite a lot like Michael’s, I think.
 
Similar ad-libs in Different Michael Jacksongs
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That’s a well put together video you’ve got there, Zinnia. How do you find all these things?
Yeah, I was pleased with that one. I do like it when the editing is well done. I'm quite picky about editing.

Some of the ‘hee-hee’s’ in Maybe Your Baby sounds quite a lot like Michael’s, I think.
And I've never really noticed. I love that song but that just hasn't ever registered with me. Although, if I'm listening to Stevie I'm not gonna be thinking about Michael at all so I guess it's not so strange.

<looks nervously around in case @staywild23 is listening in; decides to creep away quietly while it's still safe>

🧡
 
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And I've never really noticed. I love that song but that just hasn't ever registered with me. Although, if I'm listening to Stevie I'm not gonna be thinking about Michael at all so I guess it's not so strange.

<looks nervously around in case @staywild23 is listening in; decides to creep away quietly while it's still safe>
Is this because you assume, for me, the very notion of listening to something, or doing literally anything at all, and not simultaneously being lost in thought about Michael is an outrageous form of non-living?

Because if so...

well, then you'd be right 😁
 
He went to church every week, didn't he? With Katherine and ... can't remember. La Toya? Anyway, I'm sure he would have been hearing these stories repeatedly from a very early age. I don't know much about the JW approach to Christian teachings and the Hebrew scriptures but I'm sure they are as deeply immersed in these stories as other Christians.
Yes, they are considered chapter by chapter on a Weekly basis at places of worship. And scripture is cited in weekend talks based on the Bible. The Old and New Testament both.
 
Yes, they are considered chapter by chapter on a Weekly basis at places of worship. And scripture is cited in weekend talks based on the Bible. The Old and New Testament both.
oh, I know that. I just meant, I wasn't sure how much emphasis the JW would give to the Hebrew scriptures vs. the Christian ones. The Church of England and the Catholic church have a lectionary of weekly readings which takes them through the entire bible within a set period. I assume JW has a similar system but I don't really know. I was just musing about whether JW teaching would spend more time on Christian scriptures and how likely it was that Michael would be familiar with the story of Naboth. Very familiar, I would imagine.
 
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Los Angeles of course!
That makes sense, yes. Would you happen to have any examples of how this variety of English manifested itself in the case of Michael?

Edit: Reading from Wikipedia, so bear with me, but here it’s stated that “linguists who studied English before and immediately after World War II tended to find few, if any, patterns unique to California, and even today most California English still aligns to a General or Western American accent.”
 
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Further musings on Cheater:

Today I set out to transcribe the first verse, pre‐chorus and chorus (V1, PC1, C1), only to relatively quickly realize that I’ve taken on more than I can manage. But shame on him that yields – I had to get something done.

It’s taken me three and a half hour of repeated listenings to finally arrive on what I deem to be the correct lyrics for the first verse (which, as you may have concluded, is all I could manage for today). And as a bonus, I provide you with my IPA transcription of the same (feel free to ignore those lines, or likewise to inform me of all my errors!).

A realization upon hearing this song over and over like this, is that Michael’s vocals are unreasonably villainously otherworldly good! Every syllable is packed to the brim with emotion, and the timing is (as always) impeccable.

Here goes:

You kno’ ma work [is] too hard (for) this kind of pay – Ho!
[↓ jʊˈnoʊ ˌmɑː ˈwʰɚk ˌtʰu̟ ˈhɑ(ɹ)d {𝑝𝑝 ˌfə 𝑝𝑝} ˌðɪs ˈkʰɑ:nˌdə ˈp͈ʰeɪ (..) ↓ ˈhoʊ (...)
I wrote a letta for the getta of the C.I.A. – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaː ˈɹoʊˌɾə ˈlɛˌɾə ˌfɔˌðə ˈɡɛˌɾə ˌˀəv ˌðə ˈsiˌˀɑ:ˈˀɪ̯eɪ (..) ↓ ˈhoʊ (...)
I don’ care a jack bone about whatcha do – Ho!
↓ ˌʔaː ˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ ˌə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn ˌʔəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈdu (..) ↓ ˈhoʊ (...)
Jus’ put you’ dime on the line ’cause it’s I.O.U. – Ho!
↓ ˌʤəs ˈpʰʊˌʧər ˈdɑːm ˌʔɑnˌðə ˈlɑːn ˌkʰəz ˌɪts ˈʔɑːˌʔoʊˈju (..) ↓ ˈhoʊ (...)


Special thanks to @wendijane for helping out with “getter” in the second line.

1st edit: Added alveolar taps to ‘letter’ and ‘getter’.
2nd edit: Added missing aspirations to a few consonants.
3rd edit: Added strong articulation to ‘p’ in ‘pay’, and correct IPA notation for medium pause before every ‘Ho!’
4th edit: Added glottal stops.
5th edit: Added some prosodic notation in extIPA.
6th edit: Corrected an error in the first line’s IPA transcription.
 
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But shame on him that yields
Off-topic but I love how biblical this sounds, the way you've phrased it.

A realization upon hearing this song over and over like this, is that Michael’s vocals are unreasonably villainously otherworldly good! Every syllable is packed to the brim with emotion, and the timing is (as always) impeccable.
Sometimes it's a syllable, sometimes it's at the level of a single letter for me. Wonderful.
 
Further musings on Cheater:

Today I set out to transcribe the first verse, pre‐chorus and chorus (V1, PC1, C1), only to relatively quickly realize that I’ve taken on more than I can manage. But shame on him that yields – I had to get something done.

It’s taken me three and a half hour of repeated listenings to finally arrive on what I deem to be the correct lyrics for the first verse (which, as you may have concluded, is all I could manage for today). And as a bonus, I provide you with my IPA transcription of the same (feel free to ignore those lines, or likewise to inform me of all my errors!).

A realization upon hearing this song over and over like this, is that Michael’s vocals are unreasonably villainously otherworldly good! Every syllable is packed to the brim with emotion, and the timing is (as always) impeccable.

Here goes:

You kno’ ma work too hard (for) this kind of pay – Ho!
/ˌjʊˈnoʊ ˌmɑː ˈwʰɚk ˌtʰu̟ ˈhɑ(ɹ)d (ˌfə) ˌðɪs ˈkʰɪnˌdə ˈp͈ʰeɪ (..) ˈhoʊ/
I wrote a letta for the getta of the C.I.A. – Ho!
/ˌʔaː ˈɹoʊˌɾə ˈlɛˌɾə ˌfɔˌðə ˈɡɛˌɾə ˌʔəv ˌðə ˈsiˌʔɑ:ˈʔɪ̯eɪ (..) ˈhoʊ/
I don’ care a jack bone about whatcha do – Ho!
/ˌʔaː ˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ ˌə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn ˌʔəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈdu (..) ˈhoʊ/
Jus’ put you’ dime on the line ’cause it’s I.O.U. – Ho!
/ˌʤəs ˈpʰʊˌʧər ˈdɑːm ˌʔɑnˌðə ˈlɑːn ˌkʰəz ˌɪts ˈʔɑːˌʔoʊˈju (..) ˈhoʊ/


Special thanks to @wendijane for helping out with “getter” in the second line.

1st edit: Added alveolar taps to ‘letter’ and ‘getter’.
2nd edit: Added missing aspirations to a few consonants.
3rd edit: Added strong articulation to ‘p’ in ‘pay’, and correct IPA notation for medium pause before every ‘Ho!’
4th edit: Added glottal stops.
I didn't realise my lil contribution would go towards ...😮Well, will ya look at this. ....This is art in itself @Agonum😍👏🎨🧑‍🎨
 
I’ve been working on the final draft of the Cheater transcription, and figured I ought to post it now before my low self‐esteem forces me to delete it. Footnotes as well as remarks on observed language features to come in a later edit to this same post.



Cheater​



𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟭
You kno’ ma work [is] too hard (for) this kind of pay – Ho!
[↓ jʊˈnoʊ ˌmɑː ˈwʰɚk ˌtʰu̟ ˈhɑ(ɹ)d | {  𝑝𝑝 ˌfə 𝑝𝑝} ˌðɪs ˈkʰɑ:nˌdə ˈp͈ʰeɪ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I wrote a letta for the getta of the C.I.A. – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaː ˈɹoʊˌɾə ˈlɛˌɾə | ˌfɔˌðə ˈɡɛˌɾə | ˌˀəv ˌðə ˈsiˌˀɑ:ˈˀɪ̯eɪ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I don’ care a jack bone about whatcha do – Ho!*
↓ ˌˀaːˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ.ə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn | ˀəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈduˑ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Jus’ put you’ dime on the line ’cause it’s I.O.U. – Ho!
↓ ˌʤəs ˈpʰʊːˌʧər ˈdɑːm | ˀɑn.ðəˈlɑːn | kʰəz.ɪts ˈˀɑːˌˀoʊˈju (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟭
Somebody said “Give up (i)ns’ead, on a higha feel”**
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | (↓) ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪ͉nˈsɛˑd (.) | (↓) ˌˀɔn.ə ˈhaː.ɪə ˈf͈iːɫ (...) ‖
One b(e-)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bəˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it! Ya***
↓ {  𝑓 ˀaː (.) ˀeɪn (.) ˈtʰeɪ.kɪn ɪ̈t 𝑓  } { 𝑚𝑓 jə 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟭
Cheata
ˈt͡ʃiːtə ‖
Do it! Huh! Doggone it! Do it! Huh! Get back on me***
↓ ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (.) | (↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑːn.ɪ̈t͉ | ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (..) | ↓ ɡɪtˈb͈ɛk ɔn.miː ‖

𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟮
Oh, you betta go an’ get you’se(l)f some attitu’ – Ho!
↓ ˌˀoʊ.ju ˈbɛː.ɾə ɡoʊ | ˌˀɛnˈgɪt.jəˈsɛɫ͉f | sɐm ˌˀæː.ɾɪˈtʰuː (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I kno’ you’ name o’ the game is I.O.U – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaː noʊ ju neɪm | ˌˀəˌðə ɡeɪm | ɪz ˈˀɑːˌˀoʊˈju (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Tellin’ me thatchu’ comin’ to a compromise – Ho!
↓ ˈtʰɛlɪn miː (.) | ˈðæˌtʃə ˈkʰʌmɪn tʰu̟ ˌˀə ˈkʰɑm.pʰɹəˌmɑːz (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
You smilin’ a[t] me while you stealin’ righ’ befo’ ma eyes
↓ ˌju ˈsmɑːlɪn ˀæt mi | wɑːɫ ju ˈstiːlɪn | ˈɹɑːˀ ˌbiˈfɔː ˌmɑː ˈˀɑːz (.) |
Doggone it – Ho!***
(↓) ˌdɑˈgɑn.ɪ̈t (.) | ˈhoʊ (..) ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟮
Somebody said “give up instead, on a higher feel”
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪnˈstɛˑd (.) | ˀɔn.ə ˈhaː.ɪə ˈf͈iːɫ (...) ‖
One b(e‐)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bɘˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it! Ya***
↓ {  𝑓 ˀaː ˀeɪn ˈtʰeɪ.kɪn ɪ̈t 𝑓  } { 𝑚𝑓 jə 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟮
Cheata
ˈt͡ʃiː.tə ‖
Do it! Huh! Doggone!***
↓ ˈd͈ʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿h͈ə (.) | (↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑˑn (.) |
Do it! Huh! Get jack[?] on me! Ah!***
↓ ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (..) | ↓ ɡɪt ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk ɔn.miː (.) | ˈɑʰ ‖

Aa- – Oh!****
↓ ˌˀaˑ (.) | ˈ(h)oʊ (..) |
Jack![?] Uh-oh†
↓ ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk (.) | (↓) { 𝑚𝑓 ˈ⁽ˀ⁾ʌ̃˧.ʔoʊ˩ 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲
I (h)ur(t) ma backbone, baby
↓ ˌˀaːˈʰɝː(t).mɑ ˈb͈æːkˌboʊn ˈbeɪ.bı̆
I star’ to give it up-a***
↓ ˌˀaːˈstɑːɹ.tʰu̟ ˈg͈ɪːv.ɪ̈ˌɾ͉ʌp̚‿ˀɑ
Life is an aggravator
↓ ˌl͈⁽ʰ⁾ɑːfˈˀɪz {  𝑝 ən 𝑝} ˈˈˀɛəɡ.ɹəˌv͈eɪ̯.ɾə
Cho-páh to pá(r)t-i-év
↓ t͢ʰʃuˈpʰɑːh {  𝑝 tʰu̟ 𝑝} ˈpʰɑ(ː)ɹ͉t.iˌˀɛ̆v
I broke ma radiator
↓ ˌˀaːˈb͈ɹoʊk͉.mɑ ˈˈɹeɪ.diˌeɪ.tə
I live to star’ the phone
↓ ˌˀaːˈl͈ʰɪːv.tʰu̟ ˈstɑːɹ(t) ðəˈf͈oʊ̯n
I plan to leave ma body††
↓ ˌˀaːˈp͈ʰl̥ɛən {  𝑝 tʰu̟ 𝑝} ˈl͈⁽ʰ⁾iːv ˌmɑˈb͈ɑː.ɾı̆
Know whatchu we(re) ma call
↓ noʊ ˈwʌ.t͡ʃə ˈwɜ(ɹ) mɑˈk͈ʰɑɫ

𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟯
I don’ care a jack bone about whatchu do – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaːˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ.ə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn | ˀəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈduˑ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Jus’ sign you’ name on da line, baby, I own you
↓ d͡ʒʌˈsɑːn͉ jəˈneɪm | ⁽ˀ⁾ɔn.ðə̆ˈlɑːn | ˈbeɪ̯.bı̆ | ˈˀaː.oʊn͉.juː (.) |
dagumit – Ho! – you a’ a
(↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑːm.ɪ̈t͉ (.) | ˈhoʊ (.) | juˈɑ(ː)(ɹ).ə ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟯
Cheata
↓ ˈt͡ʃiːtə ‖
Give i’to me! Get jack on me***
↓ ˈɡɪv ɪ̈ˌtʰu̟.mi (...) | ↓ ɡɪt ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk ɔn.miː ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟯
Somebody said, give up instead, on how ya feel
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪnˈstɛˑd (.) | ˀɔnˈhaʊ jəˈf͈iːɫ ‖
One b(e‐)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bɘˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it !***
↓ {  𝑓𝑓 ˌˀaː ˀeɪn ˈtʰeɪkɪnˌɪ̈t 𝑓𝑓  }

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟰
Cheata
↓ ˈt͡ʃiːtə]




⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯​

Observed features​


  • ai tensing (‘I’ ⟨aɪ̯⟩ → ⟨aː⟩, ›eyes‹ ⟨aɪ̯z⟩ → ⟨aːz⟩, &c.)
  • æ raising (pʰl̥æn → pʰl̥ɛən)
  • elisions (don’t care → don’ care, your dime → you dime)
  • cot/caught merger (“call”)
  • terminal consonant cluster reduction (just → jus’)
  • consistent droppings of word‐final ‘g’: ‘‑ing’ ⟨iŋ⟩ → ⟨in⟩




⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯​
* at last (!) I feel I got this line right!
** ¹⁾ subsequent prechoruses tells me that it is supposed to be ‘instead’, but here with a mighty odd enunciation in which the ‘t’ is practically deleted, whereby it rather sounds like “an’ said”
²⁾ “Feel” almost sounds like ‘field’ with deleted ‘d’; ³⁾ in the last prechorus it does sound like “on how you feel”; here, it does not
*** ɪ̈ <> ɨ̞
**** an attempt to start the bridge ahead of time, is my original and withstanding interpretation
† short melisma on -oh
†† ‘leave’ with a short ‘i’ = ‘live’!



Edit: Minor corrections.
 
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I’ve been working on the final draft of the Cheater transcription, and figured I ought to post it now before my low self‐esteem forces me to delete it. Footnotes as well as remarks on observed language features to come in a later edit to this same post.



Cheater​



𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟭
You kno’ ma work [is] too hard (for) this kind of pay – Ho!
[↓ jʊˈnoʊ ˌmɑː ˈwʰɚk ˌtʰu̟ ˈhɑ(ɹ)d | {  𝑝𝑝 ˌfə 𝑝𝑝} ˌðɪs ˈkʰɑ:nˌdə ˈp͈ʰeɪ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I wrote a letta for the getta of the C.I.A. – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaː ˈɹoʊˌɾə ˈlɛˌɾə | ˌfɔˌðə ˈɡɛˌɾə | ˌˀəv ˌðə ˈsiˌˀɑ:ˈˀɪ̯eɪ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I don’ care a jack bone about whatcha do – Ho!*
↓ ˌˀaːˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ.ə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn | ˀəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈduˑ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Jus’ put you’ dime on the line ’cause it’s I.O.U. – Ho!
↓ ˌʤəs ˈpʰʊːˌʧər ˈdɑːm | ˀɑn.ðəˈlɑːn | kʰəz.ɪts ˈˀɑːˌˀoʊˈju (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟭
Somebody said “Give up (i)ns’ead, on a higha feel”**
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | (↓) ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪ͉nˈsɛˑd (.) | (↓) ˌˀɔn.ə ˈhaː.ɪə ˈf͈iːɫ (...) ‖
One b(e-)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bəˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it! Ya***
↓ {  𝑓 ˀaː (.) ˀeɪn (.) ˈtʰeɪ.kɪn ɪ̈t 𝑓  } { 𝑚𝑓 jə 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟭
Cheata
ˈt͡ʃiːtə ‖
Do it! Huh! Doggone it! Do it! Huh! Get back on me***
↓ ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (.) | (↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑːn.ɪ̈t͉ | ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (..) | ↓ ɡɪtˈb͈ɛk ɔn.miː ‖

𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟮
Oh, you betta go an’ get you’se(l)f some attitu’ – Ho!
↓ ˌˀoʊ.ju ˈbɛː.ɾə ɡoʊ | ˌˀɛnˈgɪt.jəˈsɛɫ͉f | sɐm ˌˀæː.ɾɪˈtʰuː (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
I kno’ you’ name o’ the game is I.O.U – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaː noʊ ju neɪm | ˌˀəˌðə ɡeɪm | ɪz ˈˀɑːˌˀoʊˈju (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Tellin’ me thatchu’ comin’ to a compromise – Ho!
↓ ˈtʰɛlɪn miː (.) | ˈðæˌtʃə ˈkʰʌmɪn tʰu̟ ˌˀə ˈkʰɑm.pʰɹəˌmɑːz (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
You smilin’ a[t] me while you stealin’ righ’ befo’ ma eyes
↓ ˌju ˈsmɑːlɪn ˀæ miː | wɑːɫ ju ˈstiːlɪn | ˈɹɑːˀ ˌbiˈfɔː ˌmɑː ˈˀɑːz (.) |
Doggone it – Ho!***
(↓) ˌdɑˈgɑn.ɪ̈t (.) | ˈhoʊ (..) ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟮
Somebody said “give up instead, on a higher feel”
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪnˈstɛˑd (.) | ˀɔn.ə ˈhaː.ɪə ˈf͈iːɫ (...) ‖
One b(e‐)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bɘˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it! Ya***
↓ {  𝑓 ˀaː ˀeɪn ˈtʰeɪ.kɪn ɪ̈t 𝑓  } { 𝑚𝑓 jə 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟮
Cheata
ˈt͡ʃiː.tə ‖
Do it! Huh! Doggone!***
↓ ˈd͈ʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿h͈ə (.) | (↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑˑn (.) |
Do it! Huh! Get jack[?] on me! Ah!***
↓ ˈdʊˑ.ɪ̈t‿ˈh͈ə (..) | ↓ ɡɪt ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk ɔn.miː (.) | ˈɑʰ ‖

Aa- – Oh!****
↓ ˌˀaˑ (.) | ˈ(h)oʊ (..) |
Jack![?] Uh-oh†
↓ ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk (.) | (↓) { 𝑚𝑓 ˈ⁽ˀ⁾ʌ̃˧.ʔoʊ˩ 𝑚𝑓  } ‖

𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲
I (h)ur(t) ma backbone, baby
↓ ˌˀaːˈʰɝː(t).mɑ ˈb͈æːkˌboʊn ˈbeɪ.bı̆
I star’ to give it up-a***
↓ ˌˀaːˈstɑːɹ.tʰu̟ ˈg͈ɪːv.ɪ̈ˌɾ͉ʌp̚‿ˀɑ
Life is an aggravator
↓ ˌl͈⁽ʰ⁾ɑːfˈˀɪz {  𝑝 ən 𝑝} ˈˈˀɛəɡ.ɹəˌv͈eɪ̯.ɾə
Cho-páh to pá(r)t-i-év
↓ t͢ʰʃuˈpʰɑːh {  𝑝 tʰu̟ 𝑝} ˈpʰɑ(ː)ɹ͉t.iˌˀɛ̆v
I broke ma radiator
↓ ˌˀaːˈb͈ɹoʊk͉.mɑ ˈˈɹeɪ.diˌeɪ.tə
I live to star’ the phone
↓ ˌˀaːˈl͈ʰɪːv.tʰu̟ ˈstɑːɹ(t) ðəˈf͈oʊ̯n
I plan to leave ma body††
↓ ˌˀaːˈp͈ʰlɛən {  𝑝 tʰu̟ 𝑝} ˈl͈⁽ʰ⁾iːv ˌmɑˈb͈ɑː.ɾı̆
Know whatchu we(re) ma call
↓ noʊ ˈwʌ.t͡ʃə ˈwɜ(ɹ) mɑˈk͈ʰɑɫ

𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟯
I don’ care a jack bone about whatchu do – Ho!
↓ ˌˀaːˈdoʊn ˈkʰɛɹ.ə ˈʤæk ˈboʊn | ˀəˈbaʊt ˈwʰɑˌʧu ˈduˑ (..) | ↓ ˈhoʊ (...) ‖
Jus’ sign you’ name on da line, baby, I own you
↓ d͡ʒʌˈsɑːn͉ jəˈneɪm | ⁽ˀ⁾ɔn.ðə̆ˈlɑːn | ˈbeɪ̯.bı̆ | ˈˀaː.oʊn͉.juː (.) |
dagumit – Ho! – you a’ a
(↓) ˌdɑˈg͈ɑːm.ɪ̈t͉ (.) | ˈhoʊ (.) | juˈɑ(ː)(ɹ).ə ‖

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟯
Cheata
↓ ˈt͡ʃiːtə ‖
Give i’to me! Get jack on me***
↓ ˈɡɪv ɪ̈ˌtʰu̟.mi (...) | ↓ ɡɪt ˈ⸨d͡ʒ?⸩ɛk ɔn.miː ‖

𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟯
Somebody said, give up instead, on how ya feel
↓ ˈsʌːmˌbʌ.di sɛˑd (.) | ˈɡɪːvˌʌp̚ ɪnˈstɛˑd (.) | ˀɔnˈhaʊ jəˈf͈iːɫ ‖
One b(e‐)low to da head is all you need
↓ wʌn bɘˈloʊ | tʰu̟.də ˈhɛːd | ˀɪzˈɑːɫ jəˈniːd (.) |
I! Ain’! Takin’ it !***
↓ {  𝑓𝑓 ˌˀaː ˀeɪn ˈtʰeɪkɪnˌɪ̈t 𝑓𝑓  }

𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝟰
Cheata
↓ ˈt͡ʃiːtə]
Goodness me! You're workin', workin', workin' day and night! :)
 
Abstract plus notes but not the full article.

Michael Jackson and the Expressive Power of Voice-produced Sound - by Mats Johansson / 2012


This, from notes 13 & 14, is interesting:

"[13] Excellent examples of how subtle variations in vocal coloring work together with other elements of phrasing are ”I Can't Help It” (1979), “Rock with You” (1979), “Everybody” (1980), P.Y.T. (1982), and “Butterflies” (2001).

[14] Similar examples are “Dangerous” () (at 01:43), “Remember the Time” (1991) (at 02:19) and “Earth Song” (1995) (at 03:17). The featured alternations between completely different modes of vocal production clearly illustrate how Jackson made use of his technical skill in making stylistic choices, the complete opposite of the naive approach of letting one's “natural voice” dictate the pattern of sounds emerging when singing."

(emphasis added)

Because I'm not a singer I often forget that singers do, in fact, have a lot of technical skill that isn't immediately apparent to us non-musicians. That they aren't, in fact, just 'feeling it' but making heavy duty professional choices about how to deliver the vocals. Obviously, I know this intellectually but I don't usually think about it - and don't think I really need to, tbh. But it's still interesting to be reminded of just how technically gifted Michael was.

@Agonum - on reflection, I'm not sure if this fits any of the criteria in your opening post. I'm sort of thinking out loud with this abstract and notes (I do this quite a lot) but now I'm wondering if I've misplaced this. I'll leave it here for now.

I think I'm losing the plot, lol.
 
Abstract plus notes but not the full article.

Michael Jackson and the Expressive Power of Voice-produced Sound - by Mats Johansson / 2012


This, from notes 13 & 14, is interesting:

"[13] Excellent examples of how subtle variations in vocal coloring work together with other elements of phrasing are ”I Can't Help It” (1979), “Rock with You” (1979), “Everybody” (1980), P.Y.T. (1982), and “Butterflies” (2001).

[14] Similar examples are “Dangerous” () (at 01:43), “Remember the Time” (1991) (at 02:19) and “Earth Song” (1995) (at 03:17). The featured alternations between completely different modes of vocal production clearly illustrate how Jackson made use of his technical skill in making stylistic choices, the complete opposite of the naive approach of letting one's “natural voice” dictate the pattern of sounds emerging when singing."

(emphasis added)

Because I'm not a singer I often forget that singers do, in fact, have a lot of technical skill that isn't immediately apparent to us non-musicians. That they aren't, in fact, just 'feeling it' but making heavy duty professional choices about how to deliver the vocals. Obviously, I know this intellectually but I don't usually think about it - and don't think I really need to, tbh. But it's still interesting to be reminded of just how technically gifted Michael was.

@Agonum - on reflection, I'm not sure if this fits any of the criteria in your opening post. I'm sort of thinking out loud with this abstract and notes (I do this quite a lot) but now I'm wondering if I've misplaced this. I'll leave it here for now.

I think I'm losing the plot, lol.
No, I’m loving it! Thanks for sharing. Oh, and it’s written by another Swedish fellow, I see.
 
I’ve read his abstract and all of his notes now, @zinniabooklover. Wow!

Again, I’m fascinated by how you can manage to find all of these things. I wouldn’t even now how to compose the search string.
 
Oh, I thought you might be interested to know about Isabelle Petitjean. She's a French Michael fan, a musicologist, has written 3 books on Michael, two of which have been translated into English. She does have a blog with little essays translated into English. I've just posted two of them. Let me go and tag you and you can have a look.

That's assuming you haven't come across her work already. Let me wait for your answer on that. :)
 
Oh, I thought you might be interested to know about Isabelle Petitjean. She's a French Michael fan, a musicologist, has written 3 books on Michael, two of which have been translated into English. She does have a blog with little essays translated into English. I've just posted two of them. Let me go and tag you and you can have a look.

That's assuming you haven't come across her work already. Let me wait for your answer on that. :)
The name doesn’t ring a bell. Hit me!
 
That makes sense, yes. Would you happen to have any examples of how this variety of English manifested itself in the case of Michael?

Edit: Reading from Wikipedia, so bear with me, but here it’s stated that “linguists who studied English before and immediately after World War II tended to find few, if any, patterns unique to California, and even today most California English still aligns to a General or Western American accent.”
Listen to him talk in interviews during the early years, and compare that with how his inflections differ later on.
 
Listen to him talk in interviews during the early years, and compare that with how his inflections differ later on.
Yes, I concur there was a change, but am looking for a corroboration on the California dialect claim.
 
@Agonum

I think I *can* hear something on the letter 'S' but I think it doesn't register with me that much bc I'm much more into his letter 'R'. Not just him, I have this with Chuck Mosley also (Chuck was the first singer in Faith No More).

Anyway, here's the ET thing. I never get tired of this one. :)

You’re an ’R’ person! Would you care to point me in the direction of a good showcase of these fancy consonants? Rockin’ Robin?
 
You’re an ’R’ person! Would you care to point me in the direction of a good showcase of these fancy consonants? Rockin’ Robin?
oh, god, can't think. Plus, I can't be doing with RR. I know lots of peeps love it but I cannot listen to the thing. Michael's 'R' is quite low key, really. In fact, on RR his 'R' sounds quite ordinary. I think. Never listen to it, tbh, running it in my head just now. So, anyway, I'm more into Chuck's way of doing it.

<wanders off, distracted>
 
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You’re an ’R’ person! Would you care to point me in the direction of a good showcase of these fancy consonants? Rockin’ Robin?
Pretending to answer your question but really am just brazenly derailing your thread. Here's Michael at that Italian award show.

Approx 2m 50s there are a whole load of really nice 'R's'. Approx 3m 46s he says 'concert'. That always has a good 'R'. Other than that, Michael in the 90's being a rock star? It's hard to concentrate. :ROFLMAO:

Michael at Telegatti, 1997

7m 53s

 
Michael does* it differently to Chuck Mosley. With Chuck, it doesn't matter if the 'R' is at the beginning, middle or end of a word, it always sounds amazing and quite pronounced. Listening to Michael, in this series of clips, it varies but mostly I think it's about the 'R' being at the end of a word.

* I don't think it's something done deliberately. I don't think Chuck has a lisp but it does sound as if he 'does' his 'R's' bc of his physiology. Pretty sure people don't choose to emphasise one particular letter especially not in normal daily speech.

Michael's voice - 40 years / 40 clips

4m 18s

 
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