女性流行公鸭嗓 在职场更有利

 Females are adopting a croaky drawl known as 'vocal¹ fry' and showcased by the likes of many US celebrities² including reality TV stars the Kardashian family. One cultural critic complained that it made young women sound like 'ducks quacking³.

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 elongating⁴ certain syllables⁵ 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 utterance⁶ 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 quirk⁷ 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。

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

3 quacking   

v.（鸭子）发出嘎嘎声( quack的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• For the rest it was just a noise, a quack-quack-quacking. 除此之外，便是一片噪声，一片嘎嘎嘎的叫嚣。 来自英汉文学
• The eyeless creature with the quacking voice would never be vaporized. 那没眼睛的鸭子嗓也不会给蒸发。 来自英汉文学

4 elongating   

v.延长，加长( elongate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The original structure of three-rolls piercing-elongating mill is improved. And good results have been achieved. 对原有三辊联合穿轧机结构上存在的问题进行了改进设计，并取得良好效果。 来自互联网
• The torch can bring higher arc voltage with lower fluctuation by elongating the arc. 该喷枪能够提高电弧电压并减小电弧电压波动。 来自互联网

5 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

6 utterance   

n.用言语表达，话语，言语

参考例句：

• This utterance of his was greeted with bursts of uproarious laughter.他的讲话引起阵阵哄然大笑。
• My voice cleaves to my throat,and sob chokes my utterance.我的噪子哽咽，泣不成声。

7 quirk   

n.奇事，巧合；古怪的举动

参考例句：

• He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs Smith.他很怪，把自己的妻子称作史密斯夫人。
• The most annoying quirk of his is wearing a cap all the time.他最令人感到厌恶的怪癖就是无论何时都戴著帽子。