Does it annoy you? This voice quality has received significant attention from both linguists and the popular media in the last 10 years , and is believed to be on the rise among young people, especially young women. Feminist commentators have offered various theories. Some say by using creaky voice, women are suppressing their own authority.
As parents of teenagers, you may be confused about why your child is using creaky voice, and what, if anything, you should do about it. As a linguist, I have been interested in the ways in which creaky voice can be used a social resource in conversation. The vibration of our vocal folds produce our voices. When the vocal folds are long, thin and taut, they vibrate faster and create a higher pitch.
When they are short, thick and relaxed, they vibrate slower, creating a lower pitch. This embedded sound file shares some examples:. During creaky voice, the vocal folds are so short, thick and relaxed that regular vibration cannot occur. Air cannot pass through them at a regular rate, but comes out in short bursts. The result is a very low-pitched, monotone and rough-sounding voice. This happens to most of our voices quite regularly, especially when we finish speaking and our voices drop in pitch.
It has been suggested that people try to avoid creaky voice because it may cause damage to the vocal cords. Yet, while creaky voice can be a symptom of vocal disorders, there is no evidence it causes damage. So the idea that this vocal style causes damage is unlikely. A popular theory about creaky voice is that young people are trying to emulate celebrities. However, what is more likely is that these famous women are simply reflecting a pre-existing trend.
When it comes to linguistic innovation, it is well-established in the field of language variation and change that young women are often leading the charge.
