# Vocal Fry- Can we please make it against the law? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677 "2012-03-03T21:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/61 "2012-06-22T14:05:28Z")
Teenage girls love affectations, that’s hardly news. Affectations have a way of becoming first habits, then vices. It almost seems like we long for what Britain has, where everyone can be defined by their accents. Their politics, their education, their social status, their economic background. Not 100% definitive, obviously, but you catch my drift. Like listening to screaming loud tunes on your ear buds, it makes you feel all bad ass rebellious and separate from ‘adults’, but when it becomes, with ease, a habit, it has pretty far reaching implications. If you still want to hear your grandchildren laugh, at some point you’re going to have to dial that back. If you wish to have a voice not like Stephen Hawkings then you better throw off this affectation pretty quickly, too, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/62 "2012-06-22T16:36:07Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Listen to the points at which her voice goes the lowest and starts creaking. Vocal fry is also called “creaky voice.” I’m reminded of Moon Zappa’s 1982 cut, [“Valley Girl.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufYYOXiEtxM) That speaking style has been around for quite some time. I guess vocal fry is just a sub-part of val speak. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/63 "2012-06-22T17:14:17Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I’m reminded of Moon Zappa’s 1982 cut, [“Valley Girl.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufYYOXiEtxM) That speaking style has been around for quite some time. I guess vocal fry is just a sub-part of val speak. That’s kind of like hearing Snoop from The Wire and saying she sounds cockney. “Valley girl” and “vocal fry” sound absolutely nothing alike to me. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/64 "2012-06-22T17:41:48Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > That’s kind of like hearing Snoop from The Wire and saying she sounds cockney. “Valley girl” and “vocal fry” sound absolutely nothing alike to me. Really? (never watched the Wire) Huh. Is[this guy demonstrating](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EgH5ikvKyc&feature=related) what you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/65 "2012-06-22T23:02:40Z")
Can someone link to an example of the annoying kind of vocal fry OP is complaining about, that doesn’t consist of someone deliberately exaggerating and mocking it? ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/66 "2012-06-23T02:02:12Z")
We have too many laws. Those with such a disorder should be offered therapy before access to a mike. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/67 "2012-06-23T02:22:50Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Can someone link to an example of the annoying kind of vocal fry OP is complaining about, that doesn’t consist of someone deliberately exaggerating and mocking it? Melissa Block on NPR’s “All Things Considered” does it. Listen to this story: [Finger-Pointing Follows Ousting Of U.Va. President](http://www.npr.org/2012/06/19/155380951/finger-pointing-follows-ousting-of-u-va-president) When you click the play button, there is about a 10-second promo of a Summer Books program. When Melissa talks in the U of Va. story, note how at the end of almost every sentence, her voice dips to a growl. (Maybe this is payback for the years of Valley Girl rising inflection that used to end every sentence.) I listen to her every day on NPR and this is her typical way of speaking. The other day she was interviewing a guy who used vocal fry (much rarer in men, so I understand), and it was seriously annoying. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/68 "2012-06-23T02:31:04Z")
Here’s another reference to it (and Melissa) from [Long Island University.](http://www.liu.edu/CWPost/Academics/Research/Faculty.aspx) Scroll down on the linked page to the following title: “Speech Pathologists Study ‘Vocal Fry’ Fad Among Young Women” > [@](#): > > Vocal fry is not a new speech pattern. It can occur in the speech of individuals devoid of a voice disorder, and is believed to serve an array of linguistic purposes such as marking the end of sentences, signaling turn-taking and conveying authority. It is detectable in the voices of radio news broadcasters ( **Melissa Block** ), movie stars (Reese Witherspoon), pop stars (Ke$ha and Britney Spears), and TV celebrities (Kim Kardashian, pictured). ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/69 "2012-06-23T02:49:24Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Melissa Block on NPR’s “All Things Considered” does it. Listen to this story: > [Finger-Pointing Follows Ousting Of U.Va. President](http://www.npr.org/2012/06/19/155380951/finger-pointing-follows-ousting-of-u-va-president) I thought that was standard newscaster voice. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/70 "2012-06-23T03:16:20Z")
Dear GOD, so that’s what that’s called! My sister started speaking like that nearly a decade ago, and it stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/71 "2012-06-25T14:58:44Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Sounds a little like the [‘Grudge’ sound](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XwWIepDRp4)… Ha! First thing I thought of when I heard **MsWhatsit** ’s second example. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/72 "2012-06-25T15:13:01Z")
Here’s a better example of vocal fry from NPR’s [Allison Aubrey](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/06/25/155588094/we-evolved-to-eat-meat-but-how-much-is-too-much) that I heard this morning. She doesn’t just drop her voice at the end of each sentence like Melissa Block; she growls through the whole sentence. Note that in the recorded parts when she’s speaking with the interviewee, her voice is normal, but when she narrates, the growl is continuous. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/73 "2012-06-25T16:05:24Z")
Oh, yes. For those who are still not catching it, listen to how she says “trying to look like one” ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/74 "2012-06-25T17:51:17Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > This is confusing to me, because she seems to be mixing the vocal fry with other annoying vocal affectations in her demonstration of it. The voice she does sounds a bit like the cartoon character [Lumpy Space Princess](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJTrD3R5cj0), but LSP’s voice doesn’t have the vocal fry vibrations in it. \*\* Do people ever do the vocal fry on their normal voices without any other effects?\*\* Yes, just listen to NPR (for me, Alix Spiegel is the worst offender by far) or visit a college campus. It’s a downright epidemic at both places. Count me in the ‘nails on a chalkboard’ group. And hi! Longtime lurker, first time poster. ---
**Author:** ![Thunderpuss\_5000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Thunderpuss\_5000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thunderpuss_5000)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/75 "2012-11-03T13:24:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Um… some youtube examples of people actually speaking this way? The only person I’ve heard that sounds anything like this [explanation mp3](http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/vocalfryshort.mp3) was some actress from before my parents were born, not something I associate with young women. Are you serious? You’re from NH; ever been to Boston? Every college and post-college woman in the city speaks like this. Even the 30-something moms in the Boston suburbs use voice-fry and upspeak -as if they’re still in their 20s. Makes me want to gauge my eyes out. The other thing that drives me f…ng crazy: people who start a post with, “um..”. Biggest verbiage cliche in the history of the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/76 "2012-11-03T14:20:32Z")
I used to participate in a message board that banned starting posts with “umm …” For the reason that it was too condescending and thus jerkish. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/77 "2012-11-03T14:26:03Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I used to participate in a message board that banned starting posts with “umm …” For the reason that it was too condescending and thus jerkish. That would be a good rule for life in general. Ban “umm…” and “You _do_ know, don’t you, that blah blah blah” if you want people to hear you. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/78 "2012-11-03T15:03:31Z")
Glad this thread was revived, as I’ve been hearing more and more of it on NPR. I have to stop myself from driving into a tree. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/79 "2012-11-03T15:19:28Z")
> [@Thunderpuss\_5000](#): > > Makes me want to gauge my eyes out. With one of [these](http://www.dsexls.com/images/optometry-equipment2.jpg), maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677/80 "2012-11-03T15:23:27Z")
Is that what that annoying voice over chick is doing in all those commercials? “S. E. Johnson, a family company.” The way she says “family” seriously grates and has me diving for the mute. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocal-fry-can-we-please-make-it-against-the-law/614677.md?page=5)