Vocal fry in American English: Italian University Students' perceptions of male and female speech

This thesis explores how Italian university students—non-native speakers of English—perceive vocal fry in American English. Beginning with an overview of its phonetic and sociolinguistic features across different languages, the analysis focuses on how this vocal register is interpreted when associated with speaker identity and gender. While some interpretations present vocal fry as a marker of professional or social positioning, others associate it with less favorable perceptions. An experimental study involving 33 Italian students assessed attitudes toward vocal samples produced in both modal and vocal fry registers. The findings indicate a general preference for modal speech, though no significant gender bias was observed. These results suggest that non-native listeners may evaluate vocal traits differently from native audiences, highlighting the importance of examining how specific phonetic features are received across linguistic and cultural boundaries.