Yanny vs. Laurel: The definitive answer about what that audio clip is saying
Andrew Sharp
If you hated the controversy over "The Dress" a few years ago, as I did, you'll probably also be irritated by the new controversy sweeping the internet.
It is over whether a brief audio clip is of a voice saying the word "yanny," which is not of course an actual word, or laurel.
Once you listen to the clip, though, the situation demands that an opinion be rendered, because the word is completely clear.
It is, of course, "yanny," whatever that is. Or a sort of slurred yarri.
There are, however, a good number of people who have convinced themselves that this simple sound is "laurel," for reasons that cannot be explained.
The person who helped inflict this debate on us, Cloe Feldman, explains the situation in the video below:
A Reddit user going by "RolandCamry" posted the audio clip several days ago, asking the simple question, "What do you guys hear?" and the debate was on. Feldman tweeted out the clip, and it went viral.
The New York Times even put its considerable resources to good use with some sharp investigative journalism, finding a voice perception expert who hedged her bets, saying "the acoustic patterns for the utterance are midway between those for the two words.”
Other media outlets like CNN also weighed in, eager to report, as we here at Delaware Online are, on issues of importance to Americans. (Opinion on the audio clip, unfortunately, is not unanimous in the newsroom here).
It's an issue that immediately reminded everyone of that infamous dress that everyone was arguing about a few years ago.
I was innocently standing in line at a grocery store in 2015 when a stranger came up and shoved a phone in my face and demanded to know what color the dress was. The dispute was over whether it was black and blue or white and gold, another distinction, that like the "yanny" clip, seems to be clear cut. Except it apparently isn't.
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