What Is Vocal Fry?

Since I know a little bit about the phenomenon known as "vocal fry" (or fry register), I thought I'd comment on the rash  of articles published this week on the "trend" of young women talking with creaky, growly voices.

To clear up a few misconceptions, it's not a speech impediment. Science Now  describes it as:

[...] a low, staccato vibration during speech, produced by a slow fluttering of the vocal cords (listen here). Since the 1960s, vocal fry has been recognized as the lowest of the three vocal registers, which also include falsetto and modal—the usual speaking register. Speakers creak differently according to their gender, although whether it is more common in males or females varies among languages. In American English, anecdotal reports suggest that the behavior is much more common in women. (In British English, the pattern is the opposite.) Historically, continual use of vocal fry was classified as part of a voice disorder that was believed to lead to vocal cord damage. However, in recent years, researchers have noted occasional use of the creak in speakers with normal voice quality.

The best example I can provide is Marge Simpson's exasperated creak, "Oh, Homer!"

Some people say it sounds like burping, which I guess it sort of does at its extremes. J.D. Sumner, bass singer for Elvis's backing band, used fry register to hit his lowest notes.



Depending on who you ask, it's either a terrible thing that will wreck your voice for ever, or perfectly acceptable if taught properly. (YouTube has plenty of clips -- just google vocal fry or fry register). Joanna Newsom periodically dips into fry, but the most cited example in pop singing is Britney's growly "Baby, Baby," in "Baby Hit Me One More Time."

I'm not all that familiar with vocal fry as a trend among young woman other than as a possible counterpoint to the "baby speak" of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. Frankly, I haven't noticed any more than usual, but I haven't set foot on a college campus in more than a decade. Frankly, I think too much has been made of women's speech just in general: our voices are too high and "shrill," therefore, our bosses do not take us seriously enough; or our voices are falsely low and gravelly, hence, manlike. We really can't win, can we?