There’s a word for everything

Don’t you love it when you discover that there is a term for an oft-noticed but otherwise enigmatic phenomenon? And not only that, but there are academics studying it?

When I lived in the US, I was much perplexed by the way those Californians talked. The people on the telly do the same thing… combined with the rapid-fire deadpan delivery that’s all the rage these days, they growl. They drop the tone of their voices way down into their throats, killing all the brightness and life in their speech. Part of the deadpan act, I guess.

Thanks to boingboing.net, I now know it’s called vocal fry. Completely fascinating.

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