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A long-existing speech phenomenon has recently become a big thing among young women. Called vocal fry, it’s a low guttural vibration typically found at the end of sentences. You can hear it in this young reporter's voice. [Listen to podcast for audio sample.]
Vocal fry was often thought of as a symptom of a speech disorder. But scientists say they’re now hearing it commonly in pop culture figures like Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears.
Recently speech scientists noticed an increase in vocal fry in female undergraduate students. To test their observation, they had 34 females read a piece of prose. And two thirds of the women demonstrated vocal fry. The study will be published in the Journal of Voice.
They also tested men and found no evidence of vocal fry. More research is required to see if this is truly a newfound fad among young women, since there have been no previous studies on the prevalence of vocal fry.
Right now they don't know why vocal fry appears to be catching on as a style of speech. But it's common for young women, and others, too, to imitate actresses, fellow peers, or high-status people.
At least this is a bit more bearable and sexy than other vocal trends like the uptick at the end of sentences.
—Christie Nicholson
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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39 Comments
Add CommentNot surprising that the examples are of California cultural icons. The verbal fry sounds like a scaled down descendant of ValleySpeak. Fer shur.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI really don't like people, aka young women speak in this way; maybe part of the reason that I don't like reading sixty seconds Health.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting. Somehow I can't see this originating with Britney Spears or some other pop icon. This is completely speculative; though being a more musical thinker I wonder if the origin has anything to do with musical preference, or a vocal style of a harder-edged musical preference that somehow stuck with one person and made its way to popularity by people imitating the person they were talking to in mirroring their behavior. This definitely an extreme stereotype, but "Pop" personalities seem to prefer to do the more obvious mirroring behavior (to me) more than some other people or those involved in "heavier" music, (hence why it may be more popular among them). Or it could be some kind of imitation of the smoker's voice (or anything else, for that matter, it would be interesting to find out). Though personally I find I try to notice and separate myself from these habits.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe voice of the "young reporter" sounded really familiar. Where are those recordings from?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are far more annoying trends. I'm wondering if this is a semi-conscious attempt to avoid up-ticking at the end of a sentence, a kind of over-correction like some of the problems with the use of the pronouns "me" and "I".
Let's try to at least name the lead researcher, and preferably the paper itself, so that we can easily look up the study ourselves. I couldn't care less about the journal where it was published, provided it's relevant and peer-reviewed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Habitual Use of Vocal Fry in Young Adult Female Speakers" by Lesley Wolk, Nassima B. Abdelli-Beruh, Dianne Slavin
The summary here also failed to mention an important part of the study: it was limited to speakers of Standard American English. Undergrads who say "y'all", "ain't", "done talked", or our neighbours who didn't sound like proper white Yanks to these boffins weren't part of the study.
WMurphy41 may be onto something here. Not everyone is convinced that this is a trend, and it's not the first time that the phenomenon has been noticed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3626
Still, more study in this area could prove interesting.
Apparently there is nothing of repute to publish today ...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat I found most interesting about this was that the speech phenomenon itself was something that most people, including myself, would probably not have ever recognized as such. Whereas Valley Girl talk or that obnoxious little uptick referred to at the end of the article is very obvious, and thus easily picked up, imitated, made fun of, whatever, this is not something that I would ever have noticed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow I did recognize it, once I figured out what it was. I have heard it before, I am aware, but have never actually noticed it, and I never would have thought of it as a separate phenomenon. And obviously it is, or it wouldn't have become an object of study. But I am guessing that 95% or more of the population would not recognize it either. Including people (women, it sounds like) who do it.
Therefore, my guess is that it is probably not something that most who do it have consciously adopted but rather something that they were "vibing" with on some level and started doing unconsciously. And if that's the case, then the next question is, what subliminal message is being transmitted here?
When I listened to the voice again, I thought of two things: 1) There is for me a hint of just-woke-up sensuousness in that aspect of her voice, so there might be a little sexual cue going on there. 2) It also seemed to add a hint of depth and gravity to her voice, made it seem like she was thinking things through when she said them. So sensuousness and/or thoughtfulness, both of which would be, of course, evolutionary advantages.
Of course, it is equally possible that it is just because of my clud-headedness that I have never noticed this before, and that most people do notice it on some conscious level. And if that's the case, then all the thinking I've done on this the last thirty minutes will be of little value.
I am foreigner, and I can't hear any difference of "vocal fry" . Is it a big deal? I mean it's only a style of speaking and won't affect communication, compared with accent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisdouble digit IQ's may be the cause...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm pretty sure the motive is akin to a lion's roar; a deep sound represents a big body (I heard that explained by evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker), so the vocal fry is a style to implies power by mimicking the effect produced by an especially big body/vocal-box.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've been wondering about this vocal affectation for some time now.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAt first I thought the young lady in question had a cold, but now, I see there are singers using the bees buzzing in a tin can voice.
I wonder if men don't use it because they can't or because in men it is called "gravelly" as per John Wayne or maybe "nasally".
Ms. Nicholson reports, “Recently speech scientists noticed an increase in vocal fry in female undergraduate students.”
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot according to Josef Fruehwald, who “READ THE PAPER,” and wrote about it here: http://val-systems.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-vocal-fry.html.
Ms. Nicholson continues, “They also tested men and found no evidence of vocal fry.” The abstract of the paper says otherwise: “Subjects were 34 female college students.”
Scientific American should correct or withdraw this article.
Young women have been adopting vocal mannerisms used by young females on TV for quite some time - almost all of them quite irritating.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow many young female clerks say "Thing-kyooo" instead of "Thank you", regardless of geographical origin? How many females of all ages less than 50 speak in childlike tones with overly open vowels?
This adoption of media-borne vocal traits is just one irritating aspect of the vapid hive-mind eagerly shared by so many young women in the US.
Look at the vocabulary and phraseology shared by all news organizations in the US.
Whether a person writes a letter, gives a speech or simply replies to a question, according to the news anchor they're "speaking out".
If a person shows concern for some issue, they're reacting with "outrage".
If somebody does a good deed or contributes money to a charity, they're "making a difference".
It's enough for me to be outraged enough to try and make a difference by speaking out.
I have noticed this for a few years now. In fact, my coworker does it all the time! My assumption is that women lower their voices in order to give their voice more gravitas. They imitate men and therefore speak with a lower voice. I am new to this country so I also noticed the opposite of the voice fry phenomenon: the Mickey Mouse voice. Some women put on this artificial baby voice. Why? I don't know but it does not sound very intellectual.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAm I the only one here to notice that the Reporter herself has the same verbal fry thing going on???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI read all other comments and am surprised nobody else pointed it out, I mean it isn't even subtle.
I was sent this article by a friend because I have had a vocal fry all of my adult life, but never before now have I heard it in a context outside of vocal performance. I don't know how to not do it, and it got me in trouble. I'm 30, I don't know whether that's considered "young" for the purposes of this study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's not like a terminal inflection really. I suppose it could be copied intentionally, but I suspect there's something else going on here. Screaming along to alt rock in the 90s maybe. Or attempting to speak in the lowest comfortable register so others will take you seriously, in a social or professional environment.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the fry is probably a side effect, rather than a deliberate choice. At least it my case, I can't seem to make it go away. Frankly, I'm a little relieved that a gal can get into broadcasting with it now.
Why did the word "sexy" disappear from the vocal version of this podcast? That's weird, because that's the central point of the whole matter.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow could anyone interpret vocal fry as anything but scaled-down moaning? It's not really subtle actually. Yes, "there might be a little [teeny-weeny] sexual cue going on there", definitely.
Even more disturbing is how many people look at girls' attempts at being sexy with disrespect and contempt. Failing to understand how important these behaviors are for our species might be caused by double digit IQs.
When did young girls NOT want to sound sleepy, over-drank, and have that just-had-a-smoke trip and overall be in i-dont-care-about-it-all fashion?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisToday it's just a bit more hypish then earlier. Thanks to Amy Winehouse and similar, I guess.
Also according to Pinker. Like popular first names and hats on men, style change PRECEDES adoption of cultural effects by celebs. Marilyn was rising in popularity as a first name BEFORE Norma Jean took that name and in fact fell in popularity after her fame. The specious sign off "Maybe women are imitating Kim K.[rrrr] and BritainEEE[rrrrr]" is suspect.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs an acting student of Wendell K. Philipps, we learned an aspect of comedic delivery was to drop your vocal pitch at the end of a statement. Wendell explained that this implied certainty, and a desire to stop conversation on that subject. The drop in pitch signals an end of the discussion, no more need for chatter, 'let's start the bombing.'
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen one spouts lies with drop-dead certainty, as in this video, the effect is comedy, albeit, unintentional. This "vocal fry" is a mainstay of political speech, which relies on pompous certainty when stating blatant falsehood.
But it's only funny if you're intelligent enough to know the speaker is lying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gUzD1Ud4Lk
EXACTLY! I too was wondering if anyone else noticed. It was so obvious that it made me think this whole thing was a parody.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Vocal fry"? Sounds hot and sexy, but to call it a growl would make it sound dangerous...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is the sound made by a Praying Mantiss female just before the lunge for lunch when she eats her mate? Its a low vocal FRY. Yup. I think these babes are mimicing a female Mantis kill call. Calling all bug docs to check it out, please.
I believe it is Mignon Fogerty, Grammer Girl
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTurkish women somewhat similarly vocalize words ending in "R", which they trill out at length. Turkish men sometimes do this, but it is much more pronounced with women.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRegarding the rise at the end of the sentence - I've always taken it to be an indication that the speaker is unsure if what they are saying is acceptable to the listener, some self-doubt or lack of confidence within the speaker. Or, as a type of social/political/argumentative strategy of saying something without commitment, saying something as if the speaker were "trying out" to see if it works - "fishing" for a response that, if appropriate to the speaker, would permit her/him to continue with less doubt. In any case, the speaker is unsure of themselves, or of how the listener(s) will react. What do you think?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this---
Regarding vocal fry; Sure, why not another future significant vocalization for "I am cool."?
Another American speech pattern (although different, and not restricted to youth) that I've noticed with interest is the use of the word "so..." to begin sentences in speech, for no apparent reason whatsoever. I call it the "Terry Gross phenomenon" because she's the first celebrity I noticed affecting this; also because it seemed to be mostly prevalent amongst academics and talking heads at first, although now seems to have spread quite widely through the (American) population. Even here in Britain I've noticed some people using it, perhaps influenced by their American friends.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo me it smacks of a sort of slightly upscale version of the "like" phenomenon. Personally I wish it would go away, as it seems an unnecessary affection; and I can't avoid the intuitive impression that the use of it may be symptomatic of an unconscious feeling the speaker has of being part of some sort of privileged, self-referential continuing conversation among "smart people". Then again maybe I'm just being a curmudgeon, and will be doing it myself in five years! It's fascinating how these things get started, though. I'd be very interested to hear other thoughts on this, and whether or not this particular linguistic wrinkle has been noted and discussed, either by linguists or in the media.
Here is the summary of the article, I really hope some one could check this essay, thank you!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article states a new founding appears in the end of the speaker's sentences, called 'Vocal Fry'. Usually the phenomenon could be found among the females. Scientists have done a group of test among the females and males. The test shows that the 'Vocal Fry' is common among the females, while it can not show any evidence to prove the males' speeches have the 'Vocal Fry'. They don't know why it happened, anyway, the article believes that the 'Vocal Fry' is better than the increasing tone in the end of the female's speech.
When the Low-frequency vocal cord vibration, the vocal fry could appear.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI've heard it for decades on the lips of self important types. I just hope screamo doesn't become common speech.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI found this video made by a teenager that shows a good example of the verbal fry. This video is meant to take a comedic approach on the Harry Potter series, but the girl frequently has a verbal fry.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3MYm88H8M
"Another American speech pattern (although different, and not restricted to youth) that I've noticed with interest is the use of the word "so..." to begin sentences in speech..."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI use that myself often in conversation, as a way to signal to the listener that I'm about to say something, and to get their attention, without them having to remain hyper-vigilant. It's so that I know that they'll be actually listening, and ready to comprehend, when I start saying the substantive thing that I want to get through to them.
"The voice of the "young reporter" sounded really familiar. Where are those recordings from?"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think it's Grammar Girl. Here's her web site:
<a href='http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/'/>
... and you can subscribe to her podcast in iTunes et al.
"Am I the only one here to notice that the Reporter herself has the same verbal fry thing going on???"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRight, I didn't notice it at first, but I hear it now.
At about 1:00:
"... on the prevalence of vocal _fry_."
At about 1:07:
"... as a _style_ of speech."
At about 1:14:
"... high-status _people_."
Ironic.
There are 3 men in "popular" media who use vocal fry a lot, namely Ira Glass (This American Life), Jonathan Goldstein (WireTap), and Terry O'Reilly (The Age of Persuasion). They all have podcasts, so you can hear their audio.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGood grief! It is just an acquired imitative quirk like the rising inflection at the end of a statement. Not a conscious or deliberate bit. People (adults and children) imitate without thought.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a foreigner, the vocal fry sounds very annoying and irritating for non-English speakers. I don't know why the young women keeps making those sounds when they talk, especially the young.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHell, maybe it is from Britney Spears. The up-at-end-of-sentence habit known as High Rising Terminals (HRT) has been suspected to have really become a thing thanks to Aussie soaps, so who knows?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo, this is an interesting article on the phenomenon : )
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://anand.ly/articles/so-pushes-to-the-head-of-the-line