Men use "vocal fry" more than women, counter to stereotype
8 hours ago
- #Speech Patterns
- #Gender Stereotypes
- #Vocal Fry
- Vocal fry, also known as 'creaky voice,' is a pitch drop often at sentence ends, linked to young women's speech.
- Britney Spears is a notable example, using it in her 1998 hit 'Hit Me Baby (One More Time).'
- A study by Jeanne Brown at McGill University found vocal fry is actually more common in men than women, though perceived as prominent in young women.
- Vocal fry is the lowest human vocal register, caused by slack vocal cords, resulting in irregular vibrations and cracking sounds at around 70 Hz.
- Singers like Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga use vocal fry in pop music to enhance expressiveness, conveying raw, emotional effort.
- Male singers such as Justin Bieber, Tim Storms, and gospel bassists also use vocal fry, showing it is not exclusive to females.