Timeline for Negative word for someone whose voice pitch varies too much? (opposite of monotone)
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
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| Jul 8, 2015 at 17:11 | comment | added | jsoteeln | Point taken about vibrato, but it might work if used more suggestively, such as in "she spoke in the modulated tone of a vibrato." Though this omits the negative connotations called for, unless the narrator is known to dislike opera. Still, it's unclear what level of language is called for by @j.i.h.--regardless, some manner of metaphor or other comparison would most likely be used ("singsong" above, for example) to create the most lively image. That's why the image of a cat wailing seemed appropriate, especially if the narrator wishes to express displeasure at the sound of the voice. | |
| Jul 8, 2015 at 15:50 | comment | added | Two-Bit Alchemist | I don't know if caterwauling is exclusively Southern, but I've definitely heard it all my life. I can see what you're getting out with vibrato, but I feel like if you heard someone talking with a vibrato it would be immediately extremely obvious and extremely odd. | |
| Jul 7, 2015 at 20:59 | comment | added | jsoteeln | If caterwauling is a Southerner, and modulation and vibrato are musicians, then my definitions must be extraordinarily off-the-mark and incomplete! | |
| Jul 7, 2015 at 20:41 | comment | added | Two-Bit Alchemist | As a Southerner, caterwauling is far too strong for this usage. As a musician, modulation and especially vibrato refer to something technical that is miles removed from OP's question. | |
| Jul 7, 2015 at 19:45 | history | answered | jsoteeln | CC BY-SA 3.0 |