Why do some gay guys have high pitched voices
What it means to 'sound gay'
But is there any reality to this stereotype? Do gay men actually sound different than unbent men? And if so, why?
These are the questions in a modern documentary, "Do I Sound Gay?" It's a fascinating and nuanced film, in which the filmmaker, David Thorpe, uses his feelings about his voice to look at attitudes toward homosexuality. It raises a complicated discussion about homosexual pride, lingering homophobia, disguised misogyny, and the extent to which we all alter the image that we present to the world.
As the motion picture begins, Thorpe is disturbed because he realizes he doesn't like his voice any more. He's just gone through a break-up and is feeling unconfident and low. "Who could respect, much less collapse in love with, an old braying ninny appreciate me?" he asks.
Thorpe explores in other ways the meaning behind his voice and his discomfort with it.
Why do some male lover men “sound” gay? After three years of research, linguistics professors Henry Rogers and Ron Smyth may be on the verge of answering that ask. After identifying phonetic characteristics that feel to make a man’s voice sound gay, their top hunch is that some gay men may subconsciously adopt certain female speech patterns. They yearn to know how men acquire this manner of speaking, and why – especially when world so often stigmatizes those with gay-sounding voices.
Rogers and Smyth are also exploring the stereotypes that gay men sound effeminate and are recognized by the way they communicate. They asked people to listen to recordings of 25 men, 17 of them gay. In 62 per cent of the cases the listeners identified the sexual orientation of the speakers correctly. Perhaps fewer than half of gay men sound gay, says Rogers.
The straightest-sounding voice in the study was in fact a gay man, and the sixth gayest-sounding voice was a straight man.
Most Popular
When Your Voice Outs You
Over the years, I realised I have had a lot of talents.
I can roll my tongue, impersonate a pigeon (my brain tut is phenomenal), fly a kite without help, and most importantly, myth my way through a resume even while asleep. It’s a lot for one person.
But faking a baritone is clearly not one of them.
I knew my voice was “soft” (read: too girly for the masses and the misinformed) when I was eight. And unlike algebra or the recorder, booming like a azure whale wasn’t taught in kindergarten. To avoid years of ridicule, I chose the only answer that seemed safe.
Silence.
I stopped yelling across playgrounds. Answered questions only when I had to. Played shy so I wouldn’t have to speak. It’s incredible what you can pass off when you say you’re an introvert.
But the cracks showed. My voice would squeak out, high and sharp, and with it came sniggers and snide remarks.
“Why do you sound so nasal?”
I’d respond with something vague and medical, enough to shut them up until I changed schools—and bullies.
Eventually, I adapted. I modulated my voice to fit the room. Gruff North Indian tones for male colleagues. Breathier Bombay lilt with female acquaintances. Onl
Gay VOICE is a thing: You can tell a man is homosexual from the way they communicate , say scientists
High pitched, extended vowels and incredibly articulated: so-called 'gay voice' is a real phenomenon, researchers say.
Two science YouTubers contain scoured studies behind the theory that homosexual men have a unique twang that transcends aspects appreciate culture and upbringing.
Mitch Moffit, a biologist, and Greg Brown, a science educator — who are both gay — explored what exactly constitutes a 'gay voice' and what might cause it.
In a clip uploaded to their channel, AsapSCIENCE, earlier this year the pair looked at analyze dating back to the early 90s.
They found that analysis comparing the pitch of straight and gay men's voices found key differences in how they speak.
High pitched, extended vowels and incredibly articulated, so-called 'gay voice' is a real phenomenon, researchers tell. Stock image
Mr Moffit explained: 'Results uncover that gay men communicate with higher pitch variation meaning that their range from low to upper is much more highest than straight men.'
Mr Brown added: 'Gay men were also found to acquire longer vowel durations for "a", "i", and "u" — they hold th
The effect of sexual orientation on voice acoustic properties
Introduction
Homosexual individuals differ, on average, from heterosexual individuals on a wide range of measures: These include physical traits such as facial structure (Skorska et al., 2015; Wang and Kosinski, 2018), body size (Bogaert, 2003), and weight (Bogaert and Friesen, 2002; Laska et al., 2015), as well as psychological traits such as preferred hobbies and occupations (Lippa, 2010, 2020), personality traits (Lippa, 2008b), and gender-typed conduct in both childhood and adulthood (Bailey and Zucker, 1995; Rieger et al., 2008, 2010). On average, homosexual men are more feminine than heterosexual men, and homosexual women are more masculine than heterosexual women—a pattern known as gender nonconformity (Lippa, 2008a; Baams et al., 2013; Swift-Gallant et al., 2017; Rieger et al., 2020a). When bisexual individuals were studied, they appeared to be in-between heterosexual and homosexual with respect to masculinity and femininity (Rieger et al., 2020b).
Another difference which may exist between homosexual and heterosexual individuals of both sexes is in their voice properties. One proposal is that homos