what is vocal fry?

What indeed is 'vocal fry' - and why is it such a controversial thing?

Here are a couple of short videos:

🗣️ Vocal fry, a secret weapon or a bad habit? 🎤 - YouTube

Is Vocal Fry Really an Issue? - YouTube

Here's Wikipedia giving a summary: Vocal fry register - Wikipedia

But the point is that more of us are finding it annoying: What is vocal fry and when and how did it become a thing? : r/GreatBritishBakeOff

And it's been an issue for over a decade now: 'Vocal Fry' Creeping Into U.S. Speech | Science | AAAS

Finally, here's an excellent discussion from a couple of years ago:

Vocal Fry: what it is, who does it, and why people hate it! - YouTube

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