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American Women Feature Vocal Fry Frequently

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Remember this from Vocal Pedagogy class?
 
A curious vocal pattern has crept into the speech of young adult women who speak American English: low, creaky vibrations, also called vocal fry. Pop singers, such as Britney Spears, slip vocal fry into their music as a way to reach low notes and add style. Now, a new study of young women in New York state shows that the same guttural vibration—once considered a speech disorder—has become a language fad.

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  1. I saw this video about a week ago. I’m perplexed. I was always taught (in 2 vocal pedagogy classes, and many choruses) that a vocal fry was a HEALTHY means of phonation. That it actually relaxes the vocal folds. Is this not true?

  2. I wonder if it is limited to young women? Afterall, women who speak American English have been lowering their speaking pitch for several years. I read the article aloud and found that even I put a slight fry on final vowels and voiced consonants at the end of sentences. It will be interesting to listen to my students here in Silicon Valley where most of them use a rising inflection at the end of sentences, but when they sing pop tunes, put a fry at the beginning of a phrase!

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