Vocal Fry Research Articles

The Physiology of Vocal Damping: Historical Overview and Descriptive Insights in Professional Singers

Summary/ObjectiveVocal damping has been historically described as a distinctive phonatory glottic behavior where the posterior part of the vocal folds is strongly adducted and vibration occurs in the anterior part. The aim of the present descriptive study is to analyze anterior glottis phonation patterns in professional singers through a multidimensional approach, in order to better understand the physiological underpinnings of vocal damping and their relation to glottic vibratory mechanisms. MethodsTen professional singers (five males and five females) with no vocal complaints were recruited. Each subject was asked to produce ascending and descending glissandos in a spontaneous way; sustained vowels and little sung fragments in vocal fry, chest voice, falsetto, and whistle register. Each singer was asked to produce – where possible – damping sounds.A multidimensional investigation including acoustic analysis, electroglottography and videolaryngostroboscopy was carried out. ResultsAmong the enrolled singers, nine out of ten successfully produced vocalizations with a typical anterior-vibrating glottic pattern indicative of damping. All nine singers achieved a damping glottic configuration when vocalizing in the falsetto register and five were consciously able to switch between a full-glottic falsetto and a damping falsetto upon request. Three male and two female singers were able to produce a damping glottic configuration while emitting whistle notes. Three male singers demonstrated damping glottic configurations when producing chest notes in a belting style. ConclusionsIn conclusion, it is possible to state that damping is an existing and documentable glottic behavior, with a wide range of manifestations across vocal registers. The present preliminary study describes damping in the domains of chest voice, falsetto and whistle register. A proper damping phenomenon, defined as the modification of the glottic vibratory boundaries according to pitch variations, is described for M2 emissions, both in male and female larynx. The analysis of passaggio patterns allows to describe damping-M2 as a possible vibratory sub-mechanism.

Voice Pathologies and the General Population’s Perception

To examine how the general population perceives voice pathology based on subjective qualities. Descriptive, cross-sectional, survey-based study. This is an IRB-approved Qualtrics survey on Amazon MTurk for respondents ages 18 and older. Ten subjects with voice pathologies supplied voice recordings of the Rainbow Passage to be assessed by the respondents. Respondents then assessed the voice conditions on perceived qualities of intelligence, leadership ability, and employability. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Dunnett's multiple comparison test with Sidak correction compared the mean scores of the samples (alpha=0.05). A total of 1754 responses were included in the final dataset. The female control voice was scored as more likely to be a Fortune 500 leader as well as more intelligent, friendly, attractive, and employable when compared to the female vocal fry and muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) recordings (P<0.0001). Conversely, the male MTD was the only male pathology that received a significantly lower score on friendliness, attractiveness, Fortune 500 leader status and employability than the male control (P=0.0102, P=0.0007, P=0.0338, and P=0.0039, respectively). This study demonstrates the more critical appraisal of voice pathologies of female patients compared to their male counterparts. People with voice disorders are perceived as being less successful, a disadvantage to potential leadership and career opportunities.

History and research of intonation in English and American linguistics

This article presents a comprehensive linguistic analysis of intonation with a systematic identification of the most important functions and features of the phonetic design of this phenomenon based on the American film "Clueless". Due to the fact that the action of the film takes place at school and touches upon the problem of social groups among young people, the characters' speech is filled with jargon and speech phenomena accompanying intonation (in particular, Vocal Fry, a discursive marker like), and demonstrates the use of this intonation. It is important to note that the index, or personal-social function of intonation is of the greatest value in this study, i.e. “The ability of intonation to identify the speaker's personality”.

Analysis of a Soft Bio-Inspired Active Actuation Model for the Design of Artificial Vocal Folds

AbstractPhonation results from the passively induced oscillation of the vocal folds in the larynx, creating sound waves that are then articulated by the mouth and nose. Patients undergoing laryngectomy have their vocal folds removed and thus must rely on alternative sources of achieving the desired vibration of artificial vocal folds. Existing solutions, such as voice prostheses and the Electrolarynx, are limited by producing sufficient voice quality, for instance. In this paper, we present a mathematical analysis of a physical model of an active vocal fold prosthesis. The inverse dynamical equation of the system will help to understand whether specific types of soft actuators can produce the required force to generate natural phonations. Hence, this is referred to as the active actuation model. We present the analysis to replicate the vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, and /u/ and voice qualities of vocal fry, modal, falsetto, breathy, pressed, and whispery. These characteristics would be required as a first step to design an artificial vocal folds system. Inverse dynamics is used to identify the required forces to change the glottis area and frequencies to achieve sufficient oscillation of artificial vocal folds. Two types of ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators are used to assess their ability to produce these forces and the corresponding activation voltages required. The results of our proposed analysis will enable research into the effects of natural phonation and, further, provide the foundational work for the creation of advanced larynx prostheses.

Auditory Perception of Impulsiveness and Tonality in Vocal Fry

Vocal fry is a voice quality that occurs in a healthy voice, but it can also be a sign of a voice disorder. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the parameters of voice production, a dedicated psychoacoustic feature, and the perceptual aspects of vocal fry. Two perceptual experiments were carried out to determine whether the fundamental frequency, the open quotient, and the glottal area pulse skewness affect the perception of vocal fry in synthetic vowels. Thirteen listeners participated in the perceptual experiments to assess the following attributes: binary fry (yes/no) and impulsiveness, tonality, and naturalness (7-point Likert scales). The results suggest that the perception of vocal fry is mainly triggered by a low fundamental frequency, but the open quotient also plays a role, with narrower glottal area pulses slightly increasing the probability of perceived fry. Perceived tonality is inversely related to perceived impulsiveness. Internal reference standards of listeners appear to have fixed elements but may also be affected by anchoring and the short-term (i.e., within-vowel) context of the stimuli. In addition, the prominence of the peaks observed in the loudness curve over time appears to be related to graduations of fry.

Creaky Voice in American English: How Are American Women Who Use Creaky Voice Perceived?

Vocal fry is a voice quality that can be found in different varieties of English and is used by many different speakers. Nonetheless, it is considered an emerging female voice quality that impairs their work opportunities. The study of the perception of vocal fry has gained attention in the last few years. However, there is a lack of literature reviews comparing the speech evaluations done for vocal fry. In this article eight papers were compared and evaluated. This article not only demonstrated how important the choice of voice sample, evaluator and methodology is to the outcome of the findings but also references possible consequence the choice of an artificial vocal fry and free speech had on the perception of vocal fry in American English.

Toothed whales use distinct vocal registers for echolocation and communication.

Echolocating toothed whales (odontocetes) capture fast-moving prey in dark marine environments, which critically depends on their ability to generate powerful, ultrasonic clicks. How their supposedly air-driven sound source can produce biosonar clicks at depths of >1000 meters, while also producing rich vocal repertoires to mediate complex social communication, remains unknown. We show that odontocetes possess a sound production system based on air driven through nasal passages that is functionally analogous to laryngeal and syringeal sound production. Tissue vibration in different registers produces distinct echolocation and communication signals across all major odontocete clades, and thus provides a physiological basis for classifying their vocal repertoires. The vocal fry register is used by species from porpoises to sperm whales for generating powerful, highly air-efficient echolocation clicks.

Acoustic properties of subtypes of creaky voice

“Creaky voice” is a term that covers multiple kinds of voicing, and there is no single defining acoustic property shared by all subtypes of creaky voice. Here we explore the distinct characteristics of each subtype. We identify three main properties of creaky voice: low f0, irregular f0, and constricted glottis (as shown by electroglottography). Prototypical creaky voice has all of these properties; other subtypes are characterized by different subsets of properties. We will describe, with reference to previous literature, multiply-pulsed creak (a special case of irregular f0, along with low f0), open-glottis creak (low and often irregular f0, but unconstricted glottis), vocal fry (low but regular f0, constricted glottis), and creak with such irregular pulsing that no f0 can be recovered. Building on our previous work [Keating et al. 2015 Proc. ICPhS], we show how various acoustic measures pattern for each subtype. Results from parametric speech synthesis provide support for our acoustic observations.

Impact of Vocal Fry and Speaker Gender on Listener Perceptions of Speaker Personal Attributes

ObjectivesMany studies have investigated listener perceptions of speakers who use vocal fry, but results remain mixed. This study aimed to investigate how vocal fry and speaker gender impact listener perceptions of a speaker's likeability, intelligence, attractiveness, and salary-attainment, described as “attributes.” We hypothesized speakers with vocal fry would be evaluated more negatively on all attributes than speakers without vocal fry, with female speakers rated more negatively than male speakers. MethodsTwenty nine listeners rated male and female speakers with and without vocal fry on these attributes using a five-point Likert scale. Study DesignThis experiment used a randomized mixed methods design with Vocal Fry and Speaker Gender as independent variables predicting attribute ratings. ResultsResults of a MANOVA revealed a significant main effect for Fry (Λ = 0.607; F(4,29) = 4.691; ηp2 = 0.393; P = 0.005), where speakers with vocal fry were rated significantly more negatively than speakers without vocal fry. Additionally, there was a significant Fry by Speaker Gender interaction where female speakers without vocal fry were rated as significantly more attractive [F(1,36) = 13.964; P= 0.003; ηp2 = 0.304] and intelligent [F(1,36) = 10.740; P = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.251] than female speakers with vocal fry. There was no significant difference between ratings of male speakers in either fry condition. ConclusionsFemale speakers with vocal fry were rated as less attractive and intelligent than female speakers without vocal fry, but perception of male speakers did not change whether or not vocal fry was present in the acoustic signal.

A Critique and Call for Action, in Response to Sexist Commentary About Vocal Fry

Purpose: This letter to the editor discusses recommendations and publicity from a recent article by Gallena and Pinto (2021) that appeared in Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. We contextualize the recommendations made by Gallena and Pinto that young women actively suppress their use of vocal fry, a normal part of linguistic and sociolinguistic variation, to make themselves more marketable to employers who discriminate on the basis of vocal fry use. By reviewing research on vocal fry, social evaluation, and linguistic discrimination, we show how this recommendation is fundamentally flawed and how it perpetuates sexist tropes about language use. We argue that this is particularly dismaying when publicized by a journal of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, which aims to promote the universal use of language, in all its forms, as a human right. Conclusions: People stigmatize linguistic differences to devalue those who have less power. Vocal fry is not a problem; the problem is absurd sexist judgments against those who use vocal fry. The recommendations made in Gallena and Pinto (2021) and Perspectives' publicity about those recommendations both contribute to sexist linguistic discrimination. Rather than recommending that victims of sexism change their behavior to suit the biased views of others, we should use our energy to eradicate the underlying sexism.

Statistical Errors in “How Graduate Students With Vocal Fry Are Perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists”

Purpose: Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups recently published a study (Gallena &amp; Pinto, 2021) that investigated how graduate students with vocal fry are perceived by speech-language pathologists. The statistical analysis of the data presented in this study contains errors. The purpose of this letter is to describe these errors, outline practices that may facilitate error detection prior to publication, and position these errors in the broader context of vocal quality biases that may influence hiring and supervision decisions among speech-language pathologists. Conclusions: The statistical errors in Gallena and Pinto (2021) reflected a violation of the assumption of independence required by the employed statistical tests and inaccurate calculation of effect size measures. The severity of these errors makes it difficult to determine whether the reported results would hold if the correct statistical analyses were applied to the data and, thus, challenge an understanding of the degree to which vocal quality may influence perceived speaker traits and hiring or supervision decisions. Open science practices, including the Registered Report model of publication and open access to data and analysis pipelines during the review process, provide mechanisms to support error detection prior to publication.

How Graduate Students With Vocal Fry Are Perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists: A Response to Winn et al. and Theodore

How Graduate Students With Vocal Fry Are Perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists: A Response to Winn et al. and Theodore

Erratum to “How Graduate Students With Vocal Fry Are Perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists”

Erratum to “How Graduate Students With Vocal Fry Are Perceived by Speech-Language Pathologists”

Listeners’ Attitudes Towards Young Women With Glottal Fry

Glottal fry is an increasingly prevalent voice type in young female speakers. The purpose of this study was to identify employers' perceptions toward young female speakers presenting with glottal fry and the impact on hirability. Sixty employers responsible for hiring at their business in the Southeast region of the United States completed a survey developed to capture employers' perceptions toward young women using glottal fry. Employers listened to three voice samples of young women with varying levels of glottal fry and rated the voice on 14 semantic differential items. The semantic differential items were derived from the hiring constructs literature to capture perceptions related to mental capability, personality tendencies, and applied social skills. Additionally, questions related to hirability were captured at the end of the survey. Employers were able to identify continuous glottal fry compared to nonglottal fry voice samples. Employers rated voice samples with glottal fry more negatively (eg, less trustworthy, less competent, less educated) compared to nonglottal fry voice samples and were less likely to hire female speakers with continuous glottal fry. This study highlights the impact of negative perceptions toward glottal fry on hirability of young female speakers. Such information can provide insight to increase awareness of the impact of a voice type on listener perceptions and communication among young female speakers.

Capturing vocal fry: Understanding the acoustic and perceptual differences in elicited and naturally produced vocal fry

Vocal fry, used frequently by both men and women, is often associated with negative stereotypes of young women. This study examines how different ways of eliciting vocal fry affects acoustic properties as well as listener perceptions of speech. Stimuli in previous studies have been obtained from actors who were presented with obvious examples of fry from media sources and were then instructed to produce speech with vocal fry. This method of eliciting fry may introduce other vocal characteristics that activate stereotypes. We obtained natural stimuli by asking speakers to read passages with no instructions about vocal fry and created a corpus of acoustic and prosodic data about naturalistic fry. We then recorded actors who listened to naturally-produced examples of vocal fry. We compared the acoustic characteristics of low and high fry speech from our naturally-produced utterances, our actors, and stimuli collected by Anderson et al. (2014). Elicited fry (from both studies) differed when compared to naturally-produced fry. Additionally, elicited fry in our study differed from that of Anderson et al on jitter and other measures. The three sets of stimuli were used to replicate and extend Anderson and colleagues’ study on listener perceptions of men and women using vocal fry.

Peculiarities of Singing in Chinese Popular and Traditional Music: Influence of Musical Genres on Vocals

Under the conditions of multiculturalism, Chinese vocal art has formed its own unique theoretical system based on the characteristics of vocalization, articulation, diction, and breathing. The aims of the study are to identify singing features in Chinese popular and traditional music, as well as to determine the ways in which musical genres influence vocals. Two teachers of modern vocal, two teachers of traditional vocal, 30 students of the Vocal Arts Department of Peking University, and two art historians from the Central Conservatory of Music took part in the study. According to the study purpose, it was found that in traditional Chinese vocal arts, the main technique is falsetto (58%), mixed techniques (21.2%), vibrato (13.2%), overtone singing (6.1%), and glissando (1.5%) are also used. In popular singing the key technique is splitting (33.6%), also used: subtone (20.2%), vibrato (17.7%), drive (12.1%), glissando (11.1%), vocal fry register (9.2%), falsetto (3.3%), overtone singing (2%). As a result of the correlation analysis the dependence of popular singing techniques on traditional singing was determined. The coefficient of determination was 33.5%. It was also determined that when performing pop music, vibrato is controlled; noises and growling tones are used in rock music; uncontrolled vibrato, falsetto, and mixed techniques are used in opera; nasal sounds and minimal vibrato are in folk/country music; clear diction, articulation, slides, and scatting in blues/jazz; rhythmic and nasal sounds in hip-hop. The experiment results can be used in pedagogy for teaching vocals in China and abroad, as part of cultural activities related to the organization of events such as festivals, concerts, tourist programs, theatrical performances, etc.

Analyzing Vocables in Rap

This article examines the structural and semiotic functions of vocables in rap music. Analytical studies of the rapping voice have predominantly focused on lyrics, rhyme, accent, rhythm, and the emergent property of flow. Although timbral aspects of the voice play an important role in rappers’ flow, identity construction, and reception, investigations of timbre and non-lexical expression (e.g., vocables) remain comparatively rare. As a case study, I focus on the signature ad-lib vocable of Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion—a creaky-voiced [æ] vowel, like the “a” in cat. Analyzing a corpus of all recorded instances of this vocable in her commercially available recordings (699 instances in 101 songs), along with timbral and phonetic close-reading, I claim that vocables can serve both percussive and formal functions in rap music. Synthesizing perspectives from sociolinguistics, gender and sexuality studies, and brand theory, I argue that Megan Thee Stallion uses her vocable as a timbre trademark: a unique, memorable, and immediately recognizable sonic icon of her brand persona. This brand is closely associated with the gendered and racialized social history of vocal fry in representations of female sexual pleasure. I close by suggesting that vocal timbre plays a leading though often invisible role in hip-hop expression and politics.

Searching for the Siren | Exploring contemporary vocal aesthetics

“Searching for the Siren” explores contemporary vocal approaches that mirror the aesthetics and the contemporary perception of defining the elements of Beauty. Specifically, three main thematics are researched: 1) The Folk Voice, which explores how folk elements and timbres enter in classical and popular music, 2) The Extended Voice, which describes the use of extended vocal techniques with reference to technical and physical aspects of timbral contrasts, vocal fry, scream and inhalation phonation, 3) The Absent, Transformed and Replaced Voice which occurred with the technological development. Ends with conclusions around the definition of the mythical creature of the Siren and its relation to the human voice. Every aspect includes personal views, works, performances and syllogisms.

The relationship between perceived speech clarity and dysphonia: Preliminary investigation

Perceived listener ratings of sentence “clarity” have been used in studies involving clear speech and have been shown to demonstrate a strong correlation with vowel intelligibility as well as a robust clear speech effect (Ferguson and Kerr, 2009; Ferguson and Morgan, 2018). However, it remains unclear what aspects of the speech signal listeners are using to form their perception of speech clarity. It is possible that disruptions in the voice source (i.e., poor voice quality) affect listeners’ perception of clarity. Given the increased prevalence of dysphonia in elderly adults (a target population for clear speech), it is important to determine whether voice quality negatively affects perceptions of speech clarity. The current study aims to examine the relationship between perceived sentence clarity and acoustic and perceptual measures of voice quality. Eighty sentences produced by 10 female talkers (5 healthy young adults and 5 older adults with hearing loss) already rated for perceived clarity by young adult listeners will be analyzed in terms of acoustic measures of voice quality (CPPS, HNR, percent glottal fry, and spectral slope) and perceptual measures of voice quality (CAPE-V evaluation performed by two speech-language pathologists with training in voice disorders).

A COMPREHENSIVE LINGUISTICS ANALYSIS OF INTONATION IN AMERICAN ENGLISH

This article presents a comprehensive linguistic analysis of intonation with a systematic identification of the most important functions and features of the phonetic design of this phenomenon based on the American film "Clueless". Due to the fact that the action of the film takes place at school and touches upon the problem of social groups among young people, the characters' speech is filled with jargon and speech phenomena accompanying intonation (in particular, Vocal Fry, a discursive marker like), and demonstrates the use of this intonation.&#x0D; It is important to note that the index or personal-social function of intonation is of the greatest value in this study, i.e. “The ability of intonation to identify the speaker's personality”.