Vowel production in gay, lesbian, bisexual (GLB), and heterosexual speakers was examined. Differences in the acoustic characteristics of vowels were found as a function of sexual orientation. Lesbian and bisexual women produced less fronted /u/ and /ɑ/ than heterosexual women. Gay men produced a more expanded vowel space than heterosexual men. However, the vowels of GLB speakers were not generally shifted toward vowel patterns typical of the opposite sex. These results are inconsistent with the conjecture that innate biological factors have a broadly feminizing influence on the speech of gay men and a broadly masculinizing influence on the speech of lesbian/bisexual women. They are consistent with the idea that innate biological factors influence GLB speech patterns indirectly by causing selective adoption of certain speech patterns characteristic of the opposite sex.
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October 2004
October 06 2004
The influence of sexual orientation on vowel production (L)
Janet B. Pierrehumbert;
Janet B. Pierrehumbert
Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, 2016 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208–4090
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Tessa Bent;
Tessa Bent
Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, 2016 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208–4090
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Benjamin Munson;
Benjamin Munson
Department of Speech–Language–Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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Ann R. Bradlow;
Ann R. Bradlow
Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University, 2016 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208–4090
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J. Michael Bailey
J. Michael Bailey
Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Swift Hall 102, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208–2710
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 1905–1908 (2004)
Article history
Received:
February 12 2004
Accepted:
July 02 2004
Citation
Janet B. Pierrehumbert, Tessa Bent, Benjamin Munson, Ann R. Bradlow, J. Michael Bailey; The influence of sexual orientation on vowel production (L). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 October 2004; 116 (4): 1905–1908. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1788729
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