" 'Vocal Fry' Creeping into U.S. Speech"

Ron Butters ronbutters at AOL.COM
Tue Dec 13 12:45:51 UTC 2011


I lean towards viral mass delusion as an explanation for the perception. Research can also show that young women aspirate voiceless stops, a surprising fact for most people until you point it out to them.

Sent from my Droid Charge on Verizon 4GLTE

------Original Message------
From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Date: Monday, December 12, 2011 6:00:28 PM GMT-0500
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] " 'Vocal Fry' Creeping into U.S. Speech"

Ah (I love saying that) but were they so evidently (or
pseudo-evidently) *affected* since forever?

The current perception of many - including myself and those people in
Australia - is that the creaky sound is associated with certain sorts
of (esp. female) speakers in certain sorts of usu. condescending or
disdainful contexts.

Is this perception all a delusion? If so, what accounts for it?

JL
On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 4:27 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: " 'Vocal Fry' Creeping into U.S. Speech"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 11:32 AM, Ben Zimmer
> <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>> "these 'low, creaky vibrations' have been common since forever"
>
> "Truer words were never spoken."
>
> --
> -Wilson
> -----
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> -Mark Twain
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



--
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