Intonation Parameters in Gender Diverse People

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Acoustic Phonetics
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Intonation plays a role in speech, particularly for gender diverse individuals.
• The precise link between intonation and perceived masculinity/femininity is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate intonation parameter differences among cisgender, transgender, and non-binary individuals.
• To explore the correlation between acoustic intonation features and perceived femininity/masculinity.

Main Methods:

• Acoustic analysis of speech samples from cisgender (women, men), transgender (women, men), and non-binary participants.
• Listening experiment where participants rated speech samples for femininity/masculinity.
• Correlational analysis to link acoustic intonation parameters with listener ratings.

Main Results:

• Intonation parameters showed similarities within similar gender identities.
• No significant acoustic differences were found between non-binary and cisgender speakers.
• Significant correlations between intonation parameters and femininity/masculinity ratings were observed exclusively in transgender participants.

Conclusions:

• Intonation serves as a distinguishing speech marker across different gender identities.
• The findings support the use of intonation exercises in gender-affirming voice training for transgender individuals.
• This research contributes to evidence-based practices in transgender voice modification.