"Vocal fry" is term used to describe the creaky sound some people make at the end of an utterance (especially by people from Southern California, and extra-especially by young women from Southern California).
Author Naomi Wolf considers vocal fry a "destructive speech pattern" and wants women to stop talking that way.
From her essay in the Guardian today:
We should not ask young women to put on fake voices or to alter essential parts of themselves. But in my experience of teaching voice to women for two decades, when a young woman is encouraged to own her power and is given basic skills in claiming her own voice then huge, good changes follow. “When my voice became stronger, people took me more seriously,” says Ally Tubis. “When people feel from your voice that you are confident, they will believe that you are smarter, and that you are better at what you do – even when you are saying the exact same thing.”
"Vocal fry" speaking with Faith Salie.
Here's a voice coach teaching singers how to to use vocal fry to achieve cord closure.
