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Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?

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The Queen of No
04/23/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I think I'm one of the few people who actually likes the sound of their own voice. Last weekend, I called my friend half-annoyed because he wasn't at his apartment when I got there, like he said he would, and I left an annoyed voicemail. He immediately showed up and I listened to it and thought to myself: "wow, I sound kinda cute" hahaha. :X

Anyways, that first video is really, really funny. I love how that little girl asked: "what do YOU think you are?!" Best retort yet!
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
04/23/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
One phenomenon I've noticed and heard others discuss is that to American ears, Brazilian women sing like men and Brazilian men sing like women. In general I've noticed that Spanish and some extent Latin American women use huskier voices.
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Jack_Burton
04/23/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
Karen: Quit smoking and switch from whiskey to beer.

Yer welcome!
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boxspelunker
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
My roommate can tell sex by voice like BAM. I have not yet seen anything fool him. The voices in the video did not stump him either (unfortunately, they tell their sex right away, so he didn't have much time to guess, but he's also not a good liar, so I don't think he would have gotten away with that :D).

I lack this ability entirely. This may have to do with the people around me, many of whom are transgendered and therefore, I have different standards of when someone sounds "masculine" or "feminine". I myself have a middling voice - it's just a little above the "androgynous" level. I got it tested, but I was also really nervous, so I think it was slightly higher.

Supposedly, the main difference between men's and women's voices is tone. If I remember correctly, in English speakers, women have 4 tones and men have 3. Also, men and women intonate very differently. That's why when someone transitions from male to female or female to male, it's more than just lowering/raising the pitch of your voice. You have to learn the ways that men/women actually speak and use their tones, or you will have trouble "passing".

FASKINATING.
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VaginaWig is A Merkin
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
Seeing the woman's image and hearing her voice, I would probably assume she was transgendered. If I heard her on the phone, a gay man.

I sound like a child. It's not just the voice itself, but the enthusiasm and cadence of my speech make me sound very, very young. My mother sounds exactly the same way.
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whoa whoa whoa
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
On NPR there was a segment about women in the workplace affecting higher pitched voices or "girly" cadences, and it resulting in being taken less seriously? And it had to do with not wanting to seem confrontational or being a bitch if just speaking in a more balanced tone?

Anyone hear this, too? I think it aired last summer.
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SomeAuthorGirl
04/22/09

@whoa whoa whoa: I didn't, but I went to a seminar at a women's conference that discussed that a) women do this and b) it is a huge mistake.

I've noted even in male colleagues that those who are too quick, too um-um-um-y or too ZOMG, they get far less respect for what comes out of their mouth.
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la.donna.pietra
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
God, I miss Santa Cruz.

That's my only input here.
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stacyinbean
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I don't know if this is necessarily stereotyping, but I find it hilarious that almost every single mother that was asked if he was a boy or girl got it right. And they didn't question themselves for a second.
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I have a very androgynous lesbian friend who talks about the "boob stare"-- when somebody's eyeing her from across the room, trying to decide her gender, usually analyzing her chest measurements. However, she does have a "girly" voice. I wonder how the stare would change if she had a lower voice tone.
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prettycool
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I have a fairly low voice. Also sometimes I snort and make weird noises when I laugh.

Why yes, I am single. Why do you ask?
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the dodo, the cuckoo, and the nene
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I was told that I speak in a soft, sad sounding monotone voice. I'm not sure what to make of that. I usually feel pretty happy inside!
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
That kid is adorable! Great video and I was VERY happy to see that everyone seemed to be positive and encouraging rather than hateful.
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momentsofabsurdity
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I hate listening to my own voice recorded. I sound way more nasal than I imagine in my head.

And my drunk voice? Sounds like a five year old.
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♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
04/22/09

@momentsofabsurdity: I have that problem with recording my voice too - I have to record myself in French for lessons and for SOME REASON, when I speak French, my voice drops at least an octave. I have no explanation for this.
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Ionic
04/22/09

@BeccaSaurus Rex: I've found the opposite effect. In one of my classes we did an exercise to record our voices and see how much lower they were when we spoke English as opposed to when we spoke French. The teacher informed us that the high pitched tones when we used French was the reason why people tend to take the english newscasts more seriously than their french counterparts.

Oh, and to weigh in on the whole timbre/race issue? Whenever I speak to clients in french over the phone, they ask me if I am asian. Yes. Asian. Specifically, Vietnamese. I am black. Figure THAT one out. Anyone else have race changes when they speak in other languages?
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prestocaro fears the culling
04/22/09

@BeccaSaurus Rex: My voice is deeper in french, too. My first french prof. in college told me that happens a lot -- people are focusing on what they're saying and not calculating if they sound "feminine" or "masculine".
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MizJenkins
04/22/09

@Ionic: They specifically ask you if you're Vietnamese? On the phone??? I don't know what would even make a person (much less more than one) wonder about that?
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MizJenkins
04/22/09

@Ionic: It's got to be your accent...still, that's odd.
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Trulymadlyme
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
I think the real issue is whether your voice reveals your sexuality. I have a higher pitched voice and it comes up on the regular.
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MizJenkins
04/22/09

@Trulymadlyme: It would make sense that it would be linked to gender hormone, which apparently vary among gay/straight men/women. I have definitely known little kids who I knew were going to be gay based on the pitch of their voice (among other things). So far I've been right about them all.
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Trulymadlyme
04/22/09

@MizJenkins: Was it correlation or causation? My best friend is gay and his voice is about an octave deeper than mine. It's an interesting point, as someone who is not gay, whether the attribution of sexuality by vocal pitch is indeed due to a gender hormone or whether it's due to socially attributing certain characteristics (namely deviance from gender based characteristic such as having a deep or high voice) or whether it's more of an observation and attributing to external social factors. I don't know one way or another, but I find the whole issue interesting. What is the line between the characteristics that identify gender and sexuality.
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RunningCori
04/22/09

In reply to Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?
Here's how high my voice is. Someone once asked my husband if I was his daughter. I'm 9 months older than him.

(But I have young looking hands!)
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MizJenkins
04/22/09

@RunningCori: Young looking hands? That's a first. What makes them look young, are they particularly small? Because that just makes me think of carnies...
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