Perceptual Differentiation of Vocal Fry and Harshness

Abstract

Ten adult males with voices diagnosed clinically as harsh, and ten adult males with normal voice quality, but speaking in vocal fry, recorded a standard passage and sustained vocalizations of the vowel /α/. The recordings were judged by three groups of ten listeners each: (1) individuals trained in making auditory psychophysical judgments, (2) speech pathologists, and (3) untrained listeners. The results uniformly indicate that clinical harshness and vocal fry are distinct perceptual entities.