公鴨嗓成英國年輕女性新風尚

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.

女性如今都愛拉長調子用沙啞的聲音說話，俗稱“氣泡音”。許多美國名人都這麼說話，包括真人秀明星卡戴珊姐妹。

Their voices are also getting lower thanks to the linguistic phenomenon - perhaps reflecting the need to compete with men in the workplace.

這一語言現象還讓這些女性的聲音變得更低沉，也許反映出在職場上和男性競爭的需要。

One cultural critic complained that it made young women sound like ‘ducks quacking’.

一位文化評論家吐槽說這種風潮讓年輕女孩的聲音聽起來像“鴨子嘎嘎叫”。

Paris Hilton and singers Britney Spears and Katy Perry are among other celebrities who pepper their speech with guttural growls and the style of speaking is becoming increasingly popular in the UK.

帕麗斯•希爾頓、歌手布蘭妮和凱蒂•佩裏等名人在說話時都會時不時發出這種低沉的喉音，這種說話風格在英國正變得越來越流行。

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.

這種聲音也叫作“緊喉音”，發音時拉長特定音節，這樣就會讓喉嚨深處發出顫音，產生一種像棍子一邊移動一邊敲擊欄杆的噠噠聲。

With vocal fry, the phrase ‘no way’ becomes ‘no waaaaaaay’ and ‘whatever’ turns into ‘whateverrrrrr’.

用“氣泡音”說話，短語no way（絕不）就變成了no waaaaaaay，whatever（無論什麼）就變成了whateverrrrrr。

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.

路易斯安那州立大學的研究人員稱，女性認爲低沉的聲音讓她們聽上去更陽剛，這樣才能更好地在工作中與男性競爭。

However, while the vocal quirk hasn’t done Kim Kardashian’s career any harm, many believe it carries negative connotations.

不過，雖然這種嘎嘎嗓沒有給金•卡戴珊的事業造成任何損害，但許多人認爲這種聲音帶有負面含義。

One study found that women with the speech pattern sound less competent and less employable.

一項研究發現，這麼說話的女性聽起來能力較差，而且較不適宜被僱用。

The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama has gone so far as to describe it as a speech impediment.

演講及戲劇教師協會甚至將其稱作一種語言障礙。

Chairman Cally Foster said: ‘It seems extraordinary that, having fought hard for the right to be heard, women risk not being listened to, or taken seriously, by adopting a speech impediment - one that is at best laughable, at worst vocally damaging.’

該協會主席卡莉•福斯特說：“這看起來真讓人匪夷所思。女性費力爭取了這麼多年，就爲了讓自己的聲音能被聽到，而現在女性卻時興這種語言障礙，這將讓女性面臨得不到傾聽或認真對待的風險。這種語言障礙往最好的方面說就是可笑，往最差的方面說則會損害聲帶。”