2024-2025 Grant in Aid of Research
The Prevalence of Vocal Fry Among Adults from Different Cultural Backgrounds.
Janelle Richardson
The purpose of this research study is to compare vocal characteristics, specifically the prevalence of vocal fry, across various ethnicities and nationalities among young adults. Vocal fry, is the lowest of the vocal registers, presenting vocal folds loosely closed and creating a “creaky” quality of the voice (Dallaston & Docherty, 2020; Gallena & Pinto, 2021). The formation of the vocal folds during vocal fry allows air to be pushed through what normally would be closed vocal folds and creates a “popping” sound. Regularly using vocal fry can be a form of vocal abuse, and regular vocal fry users report experiencing vocal fatigue. Some authors mention that vocal fry may not cause harm to the vocal mechanism but can affect the communication process since the person can habituate to this vocal habit and impact relationships (Dilley et al., 1996; Naomi Wolf, 2015). According to the literature, vocal fry has become more frequent, especially among young American English speaking women influenced by Hollywood stars who use it (Mighty Falcon, 2013). Thus, with the increase of vocal fry usage, the research community has hypothesized that an individual’s culture may be a contributing factor (Borrie & Delfino, 2017). However, the available research on vocal fry usage has primarily used American subjects. Additionally, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support a correlation between vocal fry use and the hypothesized cultural influence (Valley, 2010). Therefore, research concerning vocal fry prevalence among ethnicities and nationalities outside the United States would greatly increase the available knowledge about possible cultural influences on vocal fry usage. Thus, this research study aims to compare vocal characteristics, specifically the prevalence of vocal fry, across various ethnicities and nationalities among young adults.