Vocal fry register

Vocal fry register is the lowest possible tone for the human voice. It is a way of using the human voice that lowers the pitch and adds extra roughness. The last word or part of a word may be dragged out in a rough or creaky way. This change can be created intentionally, added subconsciously, or be the result of a medical condition that affects the throat. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, more people began speaking in the vocal fry register. This was especially noticeable in women in public life, such as people in the news and entertainment industries. Researchers are unsure why this happened, but they have determined that there is a difference in how people of varying ages react to those who speak in the vocal fry register.

Background

The human voice makes sound by passing air through parts of the throat that create and amplify vibrations. The air comes from the lungs as a person exhales. It passes through the trachea, or windpipe, and over the larynx, or voice box.

The voice box is at the top of the windpipe. It contains the vocal cords, which are sometimes called vocal folds. These are two flaps of membrane that sit at the edge of the glottis, or the top area of the larynx. The vocal cords vibrate as the air goes past; they can vibrate between one hundred and one thousand times per second. The muscles in the larynx control how fast the vocal cords move, and the speed with which they move determines the pitch at which sound is made.

The air moving past the vocal cords produces a buzzing sound, much like the sound made when a person blows on the mouthpiece of an instrument, such as a trumpet. The sound is changed by the way it resonates through the rest of the upper respiratory system, including the throat, mouth, and nose. Just as the size and shape of a trumpet will change how the instrument sounds, the size and shape of these resonating areas of the respiratory system change how the voice sounds.

This process can be affected by a number of factors. These include the person’s individual anatomy, intentional changes made by the person to make the voice lower or higher, and changes caused by injury or illness. The same factors affect both the singing and the speaking voices.

Overview

The human vocal range includes four main registers: modal, falsetto, whistle, and vocal fry. Modal is the tone most commonly used by the majority of people for normal speech. Falsetto refers to speaking or singing in a voice higher than the normal range. Whistle is the highest possible range and is achieved by using only the back edges of the vocal cords.

Vocal fry is the lowest of the four registers. Creating it involves altering how the vocal folds vibrate together. The space between the vocal folds naturally opens and closes as the folds vibrate. A person speaking with a vocal fry will relax the folds more than normal while exhaling more slowly at the same time. This reduces the number and speed of the vibrations, producing a sound that is lower and creakier than usual.

It is unclear why this is called “vocal fry.” The most common explanation is based on the quality of the sound produced. It often has a broken, breathy sound that sometimes includes pops and a jittery sound that resembles something sizzling in oil. However, there is no documentation that this is the actual origin of the term. The style of speaking referred to as vocal fry has also been called laryngealization, glottal fry, pulse register, and strohbass.

Vocal fry has always been part of the human vocal range and was rarely noted or commented upon other than in discussions related to vocal music. However, in the last decade of the twentieth century and early part of the twenty-first, there was increased attention to and criticism of people who spoke in vocal fry. This criticism was especially applied to women speaking in vocal fry. At the same time, more women seemed to be speaking this way, although the trend also affected men.

Researchers are uncertain why there was a sudden increase in people using the vocal fry register. They note that there are vocal trends that come and go over time that can often be identified by watching movies and television shows from past decades. For example, the “valley girl” trend of the 1980s included the use and overuse of specific words as well as uptalking, or ending sentences with an upward lilt to the voice.

One theory for the development of vocal fry is that it is in imitation of a number of celebrities who speak in vocal fry. This imitation can be conscious or unconscious, and it can spread to people who do not watch that celebrity as more people throughout society adopt the trend. The trend is most noticeable in women because their voices tend to be naturally higher, making vocal fry seem even lower in contrast. However, experts note the tendency to speak in vocal fry is also observed in men. This leads to a second theory: that some women in the business world are subconsciously adopting vocal fry to appear stronger and more in control. Studies that show that women who speak with vocal fry make more money and reach higher levels in the corporate environment appear to back up this theory. However, studies also show women who use a vocal fry may undermine their success, as it may introduce unneeded power dynamics.

Medical experts say that speaking in vocal fry register does not cause any damage to the throat. However, its development can indicate the presence of a health condition that has affected the throat. It is usually recommended that someone who cannot stop their voice from falling into the vocal fry range should see a physician.

Vocal fry is a normal part of vocalization in some cultures and is even essential to some languages, such as Zapotec Mayan. However, in many Western cultures, particularly those in North America, vocal fry is viewed negatively by some people. This is especially true when women speak in the vocal fry register. Researchers have determined that most people over the age of forty see those who speak in vocal fry negatively. Experts say that this can hurt the perception of the person speaking in vocal fry and affect their chances of getting or maintaining certain employment opportunities. However, individuals under the age of forty usually see the practice of speaking in vocal fry as neither negative nor positive.

Bibliography

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“From Upspeak to Vocal Fry: Are We ‘Policing’ Young Women’s Voices?” NPR, 23 July 2015, www.npr.org/2015/07/23/425608745/from-upspeak-to-vocal-fry-are-we-policing-young-womens-voices. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Gavilanes, Grace. “Celebrity Vocal Fry: 7 Memorable Moments That Changed the Way We All Talk.” People, 6 Mar. 2018, people.com/celebrity/celebs-with-vocal-fry. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Heid, Markham. “You Asked: What Is Vocal Fry?” Time, 2 Nov. 2017, time.com/5006345/what-is-vocal-fry. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

“Is Vocal Fry Ruining My Voice?” Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/articles-and-answers/wellbeing/is-vocal-fry-ruining-my-voice. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Khazan, Olga. “Vocal Fry May Hurt Women’s Job Prospects.” Atlantic, 29 May 2014, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/employers-look-down-on-women-with-vocal-fry/371811. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Okrent, Arika. “What Is Vocal Fry?” Mental Floss, 8 Aug. 2023, mentalfloss.com/article/61552/what-vocal-fry. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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