To have only just realised that 'Vocal Fry' is a thing?

[ChinkChink]

That is to say - I was aware of, and increasingly being irritated by, women using a pattern of speech where sentences trail off into husky or guttural tones at the end, as if they're too lazy to take a breath. It makes them sound docile.

Vocal Fry, as it has been dubbed, apparently started among z-listers in the US a few years ago.

One British TV character who uses it a lot is Debbie Dingle, which I realise isn't very helpful if you don't watch Emmerdale. I noticed it with a couple of the Love Island females this year - don't ask me which ones. They all meld into one in my head.

But what's driven me to post is that I've noticed one of my colleagues has started doing it. It's the vocal equivalent of twirling your hair and pretending to be thick when a bloke hoves into view.

So. Vocal Fry. Have you noticed? AIBU in allowing it to get on me tits?

Can you link to an audible example?

Lots of it from radio presenters now too, it’s contagious

I've got no idea what you're talking about.

YABU, both because, ffs, didn’t we do this to death a good long while ago?

But also, fuck off with the criticism of how young women speak. Men use vocal fry all the fucking time, but somehow no one seems to care when they do it.

Here - read this:

debuk.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/a-response-to-naomi-wolf/

It’s the latest in a long line of innovative criticisms of the way women speak. Strangely, men rarely face comparable complaints.

There is a good This American Life episode about the misogyny of this kind of criticism.

Finally someone has addressed this...I had to google it and this is what came up and i instantly recognised the annoying sound

I find it so irritating and unnecessary. Its become fashionable now somehow

Ginazon, an interesting read

I find this a lot on Podcasts. I have to switch off because it irritates me.

It had occurred to me that only the female presenters do this, I've never noticed it on a man.

Perhaps it's more noticeable in woman's tone.

Ginazon - very good link and comment. I also lectured on language and gender many moons ago and know Debbie Cameron's work well (having taught it).

It's very American sounding.

Sorry if it's been done before here. Should have searched perhaps.

But no need to tell me to fuck off for hating it in women - if I'd heard men doing it I'd condemn them equally. I'm sure they must sound just as docile.

I enjoyed the This American Life episode on it too.

I have heard a few young men doing it too - not in person but on TV/internet.

It drives me mad - it sounds so croaky and affected.

Kourtney Kardashian is terrible for it.

I've just started watched the video posted above. Thank fuck I don't know anyone that does that. Annoying af.

I dont know where that *started came from.

I heard a trailer for Russell Crowe doing a show on 6 music and I swear it was 100% vocal fry.

I can’t find the trailer now but here’s the show, he first starts talking about 3 mins in:

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0000xg3

AntiBi I really love her stuff, though I know very little about the subject otherwise. Some extracts from The Myth of Mars and Venus made a big impression on me many years ago

I really like it Wouldn't do it myself in a million years, mind you, but I find it oddly fascinating.

It sounds lazy.

I've noticed some real oddities over the last few years. The 'st' sound is almost dead, with people adding an extra h, shtupid shtudents.
I've also noticed a tendency to end a sentences with a trailing "or..."
Another one is that words ending in 'o' receive a final y, so becomes soy, no becomes noy.

I hate it. Along with slug eyebrows

Alaska on RuPaul’s Drag Race has the worst vocal fry ever and it drives me nuts

Paris Hilton does it! Grr