Sage-Tips

Why do I have so much vocal fry?

Vocal fry occurs when there is not enough breath being pushed through the vocal cords. When we breathe, our vocal cords separate. Then when we speak, those cords rub together and the vibration creates sound. If you speak without enough breath, your vocal cords cannot rub together and they create a creaky, hollow sound.

How common is vocal fry?

“Our data showed that men spend about 25\% of their time speaking using fry, while women use it about 10\% of the time,” says Jessica Alexander, an assistant professor of psychology at the college. While men were the more frequent fryers, they employed the speech habit differently than women.

Is vocal fry bad?

Vocal fry is not physically harmful to the health of your voice. “The vocal anatomy is not damaged by speaking in vocal fry. However, like any behavior, vocal or otherwise, it can become a habit,” explains Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist, Lee Akst, M.D.

Is vocal fry bad for your singing?

Whether you use it or not, vocal fry is a pattern of voice use that does not cause harm to your voice. However, if you’re not satisfied with your voice, a speech-language pathologist can help improve its quality.

Is vocal fry intentional?

It is a natural voice quality, particularly common at the end of sentences when a speaker’s airflow tends to weaken. Phoneticians have been studying vocal fry for decades, and outside of the increased media attention there is no evidence that vocal fry is becoming more prevalent among today’s English speakers.

Is vocal fry unattractive?

A study in 2014 found that although vocal fry, whether used by men or women, was judged more negatively than a normal speaking tone, women were particularly seen to be “less competent, less educated, less trustworthy, less attractive, and less hirable.” In another study, young women “fry-ers” were perceived to be “ …

Why do people dislike vocal fry?

A 2014 study found that vocal fry may undermine the success of young women in the labour market. But the young women were viewed more negatively for the use of vocal fry and the researchers theorised that this was because people prefer voices that are at the average pitch for the speaker’s gender.