[SIZE="2"]There’s a new way that women talk. I don’t recall hearing it ten years ago, but nowadays you bump into it more and more, and I FINALLY came across begrudged acknowledgement of this trend, if it is indeed a trend, I mean. It’s referred to variously as “creaky voice,” or “vocal fry,” or even “annoying girl voice.” My sister, who often has to listen to my incessant grumbling about human devolution in front of the TV, came across some info regarding this VERY annoying way of female speaking I had noticed. She thought it was called “crackletalk,” but, on further examination, it’s actually creaky voice...
This is the new way that young women talk, so, if some of you MtF crossdressers wish to “pass” as young women you might want to take note of this linguistic agony. People really hate it. It’s been described as a “raspy or croaking sound injected (usually) at the end of a sentence,” or “the sound of oil popping on the pan,” an indication that the female in question is educated, upwardly mobile, urban-dwelling, and, of course, American. This can be the key to passage for the MtF crossdresser – just learn how to creak and be vocally annoying!
Apparently, women use something called “speech power tools” to build relationships. Enter the vocal fry feature, which somehow communicates something by way of annoyance to other, equally annoying individuals. Using the word “like” incessantly for providing an answer that sounds more like a question is another example of a speech power tool. It’s a lot like being on this site, with all kinds of crossdressers, and I’m wording things a certain way to locate sympathetic human beings, in this case by using the written word. I can understand why these annoying features come about, but, as soon as the vocal hits the fry I can’t hear what’s being said due to the annoyance generated – is this progress?
Women use body language to communicate, but what is a low smoker’s grumble punctuating one’s sentences trying to communicate? I read that this is evidence of an ongoing masculinization of the higher pitched female voice, i.e. evolution right before your very eyes (I mean ears), since women are working with men more and more, and the male voice traditionally got more respect than the female voice. I read that somewhere, so please don’t shoot the messenger – I’m just trying to figure out why the female voice is starting to sound like frogs croaking at midnight, OK? I guess women can blame men for “vocal fry” reaching epidemic proportions in the 2010’s...
I can’t think of a single instance of a man employing creaky voice, but males don’t have the innate powers of communication that females have, do they? Personally, I think it has a lot to do with breathing. I should know – as the proud owner of a chronic speech deficiency, I have come in contact with speech therapists and their insistence on correct breathing techniques. They made a movie out of this: The King’s Speech. I think these young women of today start talking, and they try to fit in too many words in one breath, ending up struggling to reach the far shore and gasping for air. That’s what it sounds like to me, and I hear it every day. The “fry” has become a prestigious characteristic of contemporary female speech, for better or worse...
It’s a defect of sorts, because you begin to assume that the woman in question isn’t worth listening to, even though she IS certainly worth a listen. This is a shame, and an interesting example of a form of communication working against itself. I mean, American women never used to talk like this. The other day, on a TV commercial for Verizon, all a young woman had to say was the name of the company, but it came out, “Vraaaazaaaa,” making her sound a bit like Lucille Ball. BTW, if you want to hear an excellent example of vocal fry, tune in one of Giada De Laurentiis’ cooking shows on the Food Network – she really knows how to creak her voice with style. This reminds me - vocal fry does have its benefits. Giada is 42, but she sounds 21!
I like the word crackletalk – it has a nice ring to it! Crackletalkers of the world, UNITE! Truth be told, it’s already too late, and the genders are finally moving closer together, at least verbally. I’m telling you, if the MtF crossdresser can master the vocal creak, the vocal fry, and the vocal crackle, passing in public will be a breeze, as long as your femme presentation is up to par, that is...
Have you noticed this trend in female speech? How can you miss it?[/SIZE]
Originally Posted by Momarie
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like you...to feel so. 
