Gender on the Line: Agency, Power, and Fundamental Frequency of Transfeminine Individuals
Presenter Title/Affiliation
U. of California, Santa Barbara
Start Date
22-5-2021 2:00 PM
Event Name
Panel discussion
Panel Number
13
Panel Chair Name
Ryan Redmond
Zoom URL to Join
https://ciis.zoom.us/j/93838348253
Zoom Meeting ID
938 3834 8253
Abstract
For many transgender people, changes to their voice are a significant part of their transition given that the voice is an important factor in the perception of gender. Previous work in transgender linguistics has examined the role that fundamental frequency plays in the performance of gender but has largely focused on transmasculine populations (Zimman 2012, Zimman 2017). Research on transfeminine people and their voices is needed in a world with transphobic violence and increasingly hypervisible icons to aspire to (Gossett, Stanley and Burton 2017).
While speech therapy and hormone replacement therapy offer ways for transgender people to transition their voice, these methods often fall short as they do not align with the goals and needs of the participant in the therapy or, in the case of feminizing hormone replacement therapy, has little to no effect on the voice at all. To improve the efficacy of speech therapy for transfeminine populations, this paper examines four transfeminine speakers and their fundamental frequency values in three scenarios: reading off of a word list, reading a written passage, and participating in a sociolinguistic interview. Average fundamental frequency values were found to be higher for the more formal and structured scenarios (word list/reading passage) when compared to the values of the sociolinguistic interview.
These results demonstrate that transfeminine speakers, like cisgender speakers, modulate their pitch depending on the particular social scenario that they find themselves in. The agency that transfeminine populations have over their voice is one way in which they are reclaiming power over their own lives and experiences. Using this data will help return more power to this marginalized population and aid in shaping future speech therapy programs geared for transfeminine people.
Presenter Contact
brookeenglish@ucsb.edu
Gender on the Line: Agency, Power, and Fundamental Frequency of Transfeminine Individuals
For many transgender people, changes to their voice are a significant part of their transition given that the voice is an important factor in the perception of gender. Previous work in transgender linguistics has examined the role that fundamental frequency plays in the performance of gender but has largely focused on transmasculine populations (Zimman 2012, Zimman 2017). Research on transfeminine people and their voices is needed in a world with transphobic violence and increasingly hypervisible icons to aspire to (Gossett, Stanley and Burton 2017).
While speech therapy and hormone replacement therapy offer ways for transgender people to transition their voice, these methods often fall short as they do not align with the goals and needs of the participant in the therapy or, in the case of feminizing hormone replacement therapy, has little to no effect on the voice at all. To improve the efficacy of speech therapy for transfeminine populations, this paper examines four transfeminine speakers and their fundamental frequency values in three scenarios: reading off of a word list, reading a written passage, and participating in a sociolinguistic interview. Average fundamental frequency values were found to be higher for the more formal and structured scenarios (word list/reading passage) when compared to the values of the sociolinguistic interview.
These results demonstrate that transfeminine speakers, like cisgender speakers, modulate their pitch depending on the particular social scenario that they find themselves in. The agency that transfeminine populations have over their voice is one way in which they are reclaiming power over their own lives and experiences. Using this data will help return more power to this marginalized population and aid in shaping future speech therapy programs geared for transfeminine people.
https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/lavlang/2021/saturday/27
