Phone System, I've Got a Message for YOU

       It's nice to hear a human being speak.  That's why I don't mind a recorded voice on our phone system telling me, "You have three new MESSages."

       What gets me, though, is when that same voice then adds, "and four old MESSages."  The two halves of the information sound totally unrelated.  Why?   Because the emphasis in the second half reflects no connection.  Normal vocal utterance would acknowledge that "messages" had already been spoken of and call attention to the contrasting word.

        That word is "old" with "messages" less important as already having been said:  "and four OLD messages."  That does not happen on our machine.

       This is jarring every time I hear it because the recorded "human" voice announcing the presence of messages is frozen into unnatural expression!