In
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...
, creaky voice (sometimes called laryngealisation, pulse phonation,
vocal fry, or glottal fry) refers to a low, scratchy sound that occupies the vocal range below the common vocal register. It is a special kind of
phonation in which the
arytenoid cartilages in the
larynx are drawn together; as a result, the
vocal folds
In humans, vocal cords, also known as vocal folds or voice reeds, are folds of throat tissues that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speec ...
are compressed rather tightly, becoming relatively slack and compact. They normally vibrate irregularly at 20–50 pulses per second, about two octaves below the frequency of
modal voicing, and the airflow through the
glottis is very slow. Although creaky voice may occur with very low
pitch, as at the end of a long
intonation unit, it can also occur with a higher pitch. All contribute to make a speaker's voice sound creaky or raspy.
In phonology
In the
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geo ...
of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
, creaky voice has been described as a possible realisation of
glottal reinforcement. For example, an alternative phonetic transcription of ''attempt'' could be .
In some languages, such as
Jalapa Mazatec, creaky voice has a
phonemic status; that is, the presence or absence of creaky voice can change the meaning of a word.
In the
International Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standardized representation ...
, creaky voice of a
phone is represented by a
diacritic
A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...
al
tilde , for example . The
Danish prosodic feature ''
stød
Stød (, also occasionally spelled stod in English) is a suprasegmental unit of Danish phonology (represented in non-standard IPA as ), which in its most common form is a kind of creaky voice (laryngealization), but it may also be realized as a ...
'' is an example of a form of laryngealisation that has a
phonemic function. A slight degree of laryngealisation, occurring in some
Korean language
Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographica ...
consonants for example, is called "
stiff voice".
Social aspects
Use of creaky voice across general speech and in singing is termed "vocal fry".
Some evidence exists of vocal fry becoming more common in the speech of young female speakers of American English in the early 21st century,
[ with researcher Ikuko Patricia Yuasa finding that college-age Americans perceived female creaky voice as "hesitant, nonaggressive, and informal but also educated, urban-oriented, and upwardly mobile."]
It is subsequently theorized that vocal fry may be a way for women to sound more "authoritative" and credible by using it to emulate the deeper male register. Yuasa[ further theorizes that because California is at the center of American popular culture and much of the entertainment industry is rooted there, young Americans may unconsciously be using creaky voice more because of the media they consume.
]
See also
*Creaky-voiced glottal approximant
The creaky-voiced glottal approximant is a consonant sound in some languages. In the IPA, it is transcribed as or . It involves tension in the glottis and diminution of airflow, compared to surrounding vowels, but not full occlusion.
Features
...
* Vocal fry register
References
Further reading
*
"Word of Mouth: Young Women as Linguistic Innovators"
BBC Radio 4, 18 May 2015, from c. 17:40 mins.
{{phonation
Phonation
br:Mouezh wigourus
fr:Voix craquée
no:Knirkestemme
nn:Knirkestemme