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Dolquist DV, Munson B. Clinical Focus: The Development and Description of a Palette of Transmasculine Voices. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2024; 33:1113-1126. [PMID: 38501906 DOI: 10.1044/2024_ajslp-23-00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The study of gender and speech has historically excluded studies of transmasculine individuals. Consequently, generalizations about speech and gender are based on cisgender individuals. This lack of representation hinders clinical training and clinical service delivery, particularly by speech-language pathologists providing gender-affirming communication services. This letter describes a new corpus of the speech of American English-speaking transmasculine men, transmasculine nonbinary people, and cisgender men that is open and available to clinicians and researchers. METHOD Twenty masculine-presenting native English speakers from the Upper Midwestern United States (including cisgender men, transmasculine men, and transmasculine nonbinary people) were recorded, producing three sets of speech materials: Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice sentences, the Rainbow Passage, and a novel set of sentences developed for this project. Acoustic measures vowels (overall formant frequency scaling, vowel-space dispersion, fundamental frequency, breathiness), consonants (voice onset time of word-initial voiceless stops, spectral moments of word-initial /s/), and the entire sentence (rate of speech) that were made. RESULTS The acoustic measures reveal a wide range for all dependent measures and low correlations among the measures. Results show that many of the voices depart considerably from the norms for men's speech in published studies. CONCLUSION This new corpus can be used to illustrate different ways of sounding masculine by speech-language pathologists performing gender-affirming communication services and by higher education teachers as examples of diverse ways of sounding masculine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devin V Dolquist
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis
- School of Music, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis
| | - Benjamin Munson
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis
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Merritt B, Bent T, Kilgore R, Eads C. Auditory free classification of gender diverse speakersa). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:1422-1436. [PMID: 38364044 DOI: 10.1121/10.0024521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Auditory attribution of speaker gender has historically been assumed to operate within a binary framework. The prevalence of gender diversity and its associated sociophonetic variability motivates an examination of how listeners perceptually represent these diverse voices. Utterances from 30 transgender (1 agender individual, 15 non-binary individuals, 7 transgender men, and 7 transgender women) and 30 cisgender (15 men and 15 women) speakers were used in an auditory free classification paradigm, in which cisgender listeners classified the speakers on perceived general similarity and gender identity. Multidimensional scaling of listeners' classifications revealed two-dimensional solutions as the best fit for general similarity classifications. The first dimension was interpreted as masculinity/femininity, where listeners organized speakers from high to low fundamental frequency and first formant frequency. The second was interpreted as gender prototypicality, where listeners separated speakers with fundamental frequency and first formant frequency at upper and lower extreme values from more intermediate values. Listeners' classifications for gender identity collapsed into a one-dimensional space interpreted as masculinity/femininity. Results suggest that listeners engage in fine-grained analysis of speaker gender that cannot be adequately captured by a gender dichotomy. Further, varying terminology used in instructions may bias listeners' gender judgements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Merritt
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, USA
| | - Tessa Bent
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
| | - Rowan Kilgore
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
| | - Cameron Eads
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
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Irineu RDA, Ribeiro VV, Sebastião TF, Crow K, van Mersbergen M, Behlau M. Cross-cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Vocal Congruence Scale and Transgender Congruence Scale. Codas 2023; 36:e20230050. [PMID: 37909548 DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20232023050pt] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE to carry out the cross-cultural adaptation of the Vocal Congruence Scale (VCS) and the Transgender Scale Congruence (TSC) instruments into Brazilian Portuguese. METHODS the study was developed in two stages: cross-cultural adaptation and pre-test. 1. Cross-cultural adaptation: it was composed of a team of two speech therapists and two non-speech therapists, being responsible for the translation of the instruments into Portuguese (a speech therapist and a non-speech therapist native to Brazilian Portuguese - BP and English speakers, independently, with subsequent consensus achieved by the researchers; back-translation of the instruments into English (a speech therapist and a non-speech therapist who are native speakers of English and speakers of BP); analysis of the final version by a committee (a translator, a methodologist, and three speech therapists). Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. RESULTS In the cross-cultural adaptation process of the VCS there were adjustments in five items of the questionnaire, four of them in terms of form and one in terms of content. necessary adjustments regarding form in five items. In the pre-test, for all VCS and TSC items, the non-applicable option had a significantly lower proportion than the instrument response key options (p<0.001, for all). Finally, a translated and adapted version for Brazilian Portuguese of the Vocal Congruence Scale (VCS) and the Transgender Scale Congruence (TSC) instruments was obtained. CONCLUSION The VCS and TSC were transculturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese and named as Vocal Congruence Scale and Transgender Person Congruence Scale.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Karen Crow
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Memphis, Memphis (TN), United States of America
| | - Miriam van Mersbergen
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Memphis, Memphis (TN), United States of America
| | - Mara Behlau
- Centro de Estudos da Voz - CEV - São Paulo (SP), Brasil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - São Paulo (SP), Brasil
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Blanco-Fuente I, Bernárdez-Rodal A. Gendered voices on the airwaves: The sonic self in discourses about identity articulated by radio students in Spain. INVESTIGACIONES FEMINISTAS 2022. [DOI: 10.5209/infe.80319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives. This article explores the interaction between voice and gender relations in the context of radio broadcasting education. The research speaks to the gender inequalities that are increasingly being questioned, especially by younger generations. Methodology. We have employed Critical Discourse Analysis in a corpus of twenty texts elaborated by the students of Radio National de España’s Master’s Degree. They were asked to write a reflection on their personal experiences with voice, drawing connections to their gender identities. Results and Conclusions. The results show a previous knowledge and acceptance of gender theories, their relationship with radio dogmas, and their resistance and creativity in the face of voice normalization.
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Houle N, Goudelias D, Lerario MP, Levi SV. Effect of Anchor Term on Auditory-Perceptual Ratings of Feminine and Masculine Speakers. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:2064-2080. [PMID: 35452247 PMCID: PMC9567452 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies investigating auditory perception of gender expression vary greatly in the specific terms applied to gender expression in rating scales. PURPOSE This study examined the effects of different anchor terms on listeners' auditory perceptions of gender expression in phonated and whispered speech. Additionally, token and speaker cues were examined to identify predictors of the auditory-perceptual ratings. METHOD Inexperienced listeners (n = 105) completed an online rating study in which they were asked to use one of five visual analog scales (VASs) to rate cis men, cis women, and transfeminine speakers in both phonated and whispered speech. The VASs varied by anchor term (very female/very male, feminine/masculine, feminine female/masculine male, very feminine/not at all feminine, and not at all masculine/very masculine). RESULTS Linear mixed-effects models revealed significant two-way interactions of gender expression by anchor term and gender expression by condition. In general, the feminine female/masculine male scale resulted in the most extreme ratings (closest to the end points), and the feminine/masculine scale resulted in the most central ratings. As expected, for all speakers, whispered speech was rated more centrally than phonated speech. Additionally, ratings of phonated speech were predicted by mean fundamental frequency (f o) within each speaker group and by smoothed cepstral peak prominence in cisgender speakers. In contrast, ratings of whispered speech, which lacks an f o, were predicted by indicators of vocal tract resonance (second formant and speaker height). CONCLUSIONS The current results indicate that differences in the terms applied to rating scales limit generalization of results across studies. Identifying the patterns across listener ratings of gender expression provide a rationale for researchers and clinicians when making choices about terms. Additionally, beyond f o and vocal tract resonance, predictors of listener ratings vary based on the anchor terms used to describe gender expression. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19617564.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichole Houle
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
| | - Deanna Goudelias
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
| | - Mackenzie P. Lerario
- Fordham Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY
- The National LGBT Cancer Network, Providence, RI
| | - Susannah V. Levi
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York University, NY
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Merritt B, Bent T. Revisiting the acoustics of speaker gender perception: A gender expansive perspective. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:484. [PMID: 35105035 DOI: 10.1121/10.0009282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Examinations of speaker gender perception have primarily focused on the roles of fundamental frequency (fo) and formant frequencies from structured speech tasks using cisgender speakers. Yet, there is evidence to suggest that fo and formants do not fully account for listeners' perceptual judgements of gender, particularly from connected speech. This study investigated the perceptual importance of fo, formant frequencies, articulation, and intonation in listeners' judgements of gender identity and masculinity/femininity from spontaneous speech from cisgender male and female speakers as well as transfeminine and transmasculine speakers. Stimuli were spontaneous speech samples from 12 speakers who are cisgender (6 female and 6 male) and 12 speakers who are transgender (6 transfeminine and 6 transmasculine). Listeners performed a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) gender identification task and masculinity/femininity rating task in two experiments that manipulated which acoustic cues were available. Experiment 1 confirmed that fo and formant frequency manipulations were insufficient to alter listener judgements across all speakers. Experiment 2 demonstrated that articulatory cues had greater weighting than intonation cues on the listeners' judgements when the fo and formant frequencies were in a gender ambiguous range. These findings counter the assumptions that fo and formant manipulations are sufficient to effectively alter perceived speaker gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Merritt
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
| | - Tessa Bent
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
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Chadwick KA, Coleman R, Andreadis K, Pitti M, Rameau A. Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Voice and Communication Modification for Transgender Individuals. Laryngoscope 2021; 132:1615-1621. [PMID: 34787313 DOI: 10.1002/lary.29946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Transgender individuals' voices are closely related to gender identity. A primary goal of gender-affirming voice modification is to help individuals alter their voices to improve gender congruence; however, there is a paucity of research to support this approach. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of a 12-week gender-affirming voice and communication modification program. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS A retrospective consecutive case series of transgender women enrolled in a voice and communication modification program was performed. Demographics, Trans Woman Voice Questionnaire (TWVQ), fundamental frequency (F0 ), and frequency range were collected before and after the program. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test assessed changes in outcomes. Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficients quantified associations between self-reported outcomes and acoustic measures. RESULTS A total of 16 trans women individuals were enrolled. The mean age was 31.5 years. After program completion, TWVQ improved 20.4 points, F0 increased 26.5 Hz (spontaneous speech) and 25.7 Hz (reading), and the range increased 24.7 Hz (spontaneous speech) and 0.1 Hz (reading). None of the changes in acoustic measures significantly correlated with improvement in TWVQ scores in the cohort. CONCLUSION Trans women experience improvements in self-reported outcomes and changes in acoustic measures after completing a gender-affirming voice and communication modification program. Individuals may experience significant improvement in subjective outcomes despite small changes in acoustic measures and vice versa. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level 4 (case series) Laryngoscope, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Chadwick
- Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, U.S.A
| | - Rachel Coleman
- Sean Parker Institute for the Voice, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, U.S.A
| | - Katerina Andreadis
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, U.S.A
| | - Mary Pitti
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A
| | - Anaïs Rameau
- Sean Parker Institute for the Voice, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, U.S.A
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Leung Y, Oates J, Chan SP, Papp V. Associations Between Speaking Fundamental Frequency, Vowel Formant Frequencies, and Listener Perceptions of Speaker Gender and Vocal Femininity-Masculinity. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2600-2622. [PMID: 34232704 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The aim of the study was to examine associations between speaking fundamental frequency (f os), vowel formant frequencies (F), listener perceptions of speaker gender, and vocal femininity-masculinity. Method An exploratory study was undertaken to examine associations between f os, F 1-F 3, listener perceptions of speaker gender (nominal scale), and vocal femininity-masculinity (visual analog scale). For 379 speakers of Australian English aged 18-60 years, f os mode and F 1-F 3 (12 monophthongs; total of 36 Fs) were analyzed on a standard reading passage. Seventeen listeners rated speaker gender and vocal femininity-masculinity on randomized audio recordings of these speakers. Results Model building using principal component analysis suggested the 36 Fs could be succinctly reduced to seven principal components (PCs). Generalized structural equation modeling (with the seven PCs of F and f os as predictors) suggested that only F 2 and f os predicted listener perceptions of speaker gender (male, female, unable to decide). However, listener perceptions of vocal femininity-masculinity behaved differently and were predicted by F 1, F 3, and the contrast between monophthongs at the extremities of the F 1 acoustic vowel space, in addition to F 2 and f os. Furthermore, listeners' perceptions of speaker gender also influenced ratings of vocal femininity-masculinity substantially. Conclusion Adjusted odds ratios highlighted the substantially larger contribution of F to listener perceptions of speaker gender and vocal femininity-masculinity relative to f os than has previously been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeptain Leung
- Discipline of Speech Pathology, Department of Speech Pathology, Orthoptics and Audiology, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jennifer Oates
- Discipline of Speech Pathology, Department of Speech Pathology, Orthoptics and Audiology, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Siew-Pang Chan
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Heart Centre Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore
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Merritt B, Bent T. Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Naturalness in Speakers of Varying Gender Identities. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:2054-2069. [PMID: 32598195 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate how speech naturalness relates to masculinity-femininity and gender identification (accuracy and reaction time) for cisgender male and female speakers as well as transmasculine and transfeminine speakers. Method Stimuli included spontaneous speech samples from 20 speakers who are transgender (10 transmasculine and 10 transfeminine) and 20 speakers who are cisgender (10 male and 10 female). Fifty-two listeners completed three tasks: a two-alternative forced-choice gender identification task, a speech naturalness rating task, and a masculinity/femininity rating task. Results Transfeminine and transmasculine speakers were rated as significantly less natural sounding than cisgender speakers. Speakers rated as less natural took longer to identify and were identified less accurately in the gender identification task; furthermore, they were rated as less prototypically masculine/feminine. Conclusions Perceptual speech naturalness for both transfeminine and transmasculine speakers is strongly associated with gender cues in spontaneous speech. Training to align a speaker's voice with their gender identity may concurrently improve perceptual speech naturalness. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12543158.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Merritt
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington
| | - Tessa Bent
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington
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