Gender identity is indexed and perceived in speech

Area of Science:

• Phonetics
• Sociolinguistics
• Psychology

Background:

• Speech production and perception are influenced by various factors.
• Gender identity is a complex construct with potential links to vocal characteristics.
• Previous research has explored acoustic correlates of biological sex but less so of gender identity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between self-ascribed gender identity and acoustic speech features in heterosexual adults.
• To examine how listeners perceive gender identity based on speech and its correlation with speaker self-ascription.
• To identify specific acoustic parameters that index masculinity/femininity in speech.

Main Methods:

• A production study involving 37 German speakers (20 males, 17 females) who completed masculinity/femininity questionnaires.
• Acoustic analysis of speech samples, measuring vowel space size, fundamental frequency, and sibilant spectral characteristics.
• A perception experiment where 21 listeners (11 males, 10 females) judged the masculinity of recorded speech stimuli.

Main Results:

• Male speakers identifying as less masculine showed larger vowel spaces and higher average fundamental frequency.
• A significant correlation was found between speakers' self-ascribed gender identity and listeners' perceived gender.
• Female listeners demonstrated a stronger correlation between self-ascribed and perceived gender identity.

Conclusions:

• Self-ascribed gender identity is a significant factor in speech production and perception, even among heterosexual adults.
• Acoustic parameters used by speakers to express their gender identity are also utilized by listeners in gender perception.
• This study highlights the nuanced interplay between internal gender identity and external vocal expression.