Females are adopting a croaky drawl known as 'vocal fry' and showcased by the likes of many US celebrities including reality TV stars the Kardashian family. One cultural critic complained that it made young women sound like 'ducks quacking.
女性中正在流行一种低哑的长音——“气泡音”，这种发音效仿了许多美国明星的发音，包括真人秀明星卡戴珊家族。一位文化批评家抱怨说，效仿“气泡音”让很多年轻女性听起来就像是“嘎嘎叫的公鸭”。
Also known as creaky voice, it involves elongating certain syllables so that they vibrate at the back of the throat, creating a tapping sound like a stick running along a railing. With vocal fry, the phrase 'no way' becomes 'no waaaaaaay' and 'whatever' turns into 'whateverrrrrr'.
这种发音方式也叫作“嘎音”，发音时需将特定音节拉长，在喉咙后部发生震颤，形成一种拍打的声音，就像是拿着一根木棍滑过栏杆那样。用上“气泡音”，短语“no way”（没门儿）就成了“no waaaaaaay”，而“whatever”（管它呢）会变成“whateverrrrrr”。
An experiment by university researchers found 86 per cent students tested vocal fry in normal speech when asked to repeat a list of made-up words. Louisiana State University researchers said that women think that lower voices make them seem more masculine and so better able to take on men in the workplace.
在一项试验中，大学研究人员要求让学生们重复一组捏造的词语，最后发现86%的学生在日常讲话中都有“气泡音”。路易斯安那州立大学研究人员说，女性认为降低嗓音说话可以显得更为男性化，然后就能在工作场所更好地承担男性的工作。
A spokesman of Elsevier, the Journal of Voice, said: "The results suggest that even when words have no meaning, young female speakers will seek to mark the end of an utterance or add emphasis with vocal fry."
一位来自爱思维尔出版集团旗下《语音杂志》的发言人说：“研究结果表明，即使单词没有任何意义，年轻女性也会在音节最后或重音上加入气泡音。”
However, while the vocal quirk hasn't done Kim Kardashian's career any harm, many believe it carries negative connotations. One study found that women with the speech pattern sound less competent and less employable.
然而，虽然这种发音癖好并没有对金·卡戴珊的职业生涯带来任何不良影响，很多人却相信气泡音里蕴含一种消极意味。一份研究表明，用这种方式发音的女性会听起来缺乏才干，更不易受聘。
（来源：沪江英语）
