Bisexuality and /s/ production
Presenter Title/Affiliation
U. of California, Santa Barbara
Start Date
23-5-2021 2:00 PM
Event Name
Panel discussion
Panel Number
22
Panel Chair Name
Ryan Redmond
Zoom URL to Join
https://ciis.zoom.us/j/98467066966
Zoom Meeting ID
984 6706 6966
Abstract
The folk-linguistic notion that there are systematic differences in speech production as a function of sexual orientation has given rise to a vast body of literature investigating the acoustic correlates of sounding queer. Many studies have examined the acoustic correlates of sounding gay (e.g., Smyth, Jacobs, and Rogers 2003; Pierrehumbert et al. 2004; Munson et al. 2006; Zimman 2013), whereas lesbian-sounding voices have received less attention (e.g., Moonwoman-Baird 1997; Waksler 2001; Pierrehumbert et al. 2004; Barron-Luztross 2010; Van Borsel et al. 2013). Bisexuality is conspicuously absent from this body of work. In response to this gap, I present an acoustic analysis of cisgender bisexuals’ read speech vis-à-vis cisgender lesbian, gay, and straight speakers (n = 27), specifically attending to three measures of /s/: center of gravity, skew, and duration. Tukey HSD are calculated from three ANOVA models fit for each dependent measure. Comparing within sexuality but across gender, there are three main findings: bisexual speakers differ from each other only in terms of center of gravity, lesbian and gay speakers differ from each other only in terms of skew, and straight speakers differ from each other in terms of center of gravity and skew. In other words, the way in which the groups of men and women differ depends on their sexuality. (Duration was not significant for any of the intra-sexuality, cross-gender comparisons.) Moreover, group-by-group comparisons indicate that bisexual men differ from gay and straight men in a way that is distinct from how bisexual women differ from lesbian and straight women. Bisexual women differ from lesbian women in terms of center of gravity and duration and from straight women only in terms of duration, whereas bisexual men differ from gay men in terms of skew and duration and from straight men only in terms of duration. I suggest that the differences in the group-by-group comparisons are potentially explained by differences in the intersection of gender and sexuality experienced by bisexual men and women. Together, these results trouble the stereotype that bisexuality is simply an amalgam of gay-/lesbian-ness and straightness and shed light on the intersectional experiences of bisexuals.
Presenter Contact
chloemwillis@ucsb.edu
Bisexuality and /s/ production
The folk-linguistic notion that there are systematic differences in speech production as a function of sexual orientation has given rise to a vast body of literature investigating the acoustic correlates of sounding queer. Many studies have examined the acoustic correlates of sounding gay (e.g., Smyth, Jacobs, and Rogers 2003; Pierrehumbert et al. 2004; Munson et al. 2006; Zimman 2013), whereas lesbian-sounding voices have received less attention (e.g., Moonwoman-Baird 1997; Waksler 2001; Pierrehumbert et al. 2004; Barron-Luztross 2010; Van Borsel et al. 2013). Bisexuality is conspicuously absent from this body of work. In response to this gap, I present an acoustic analysis of cisgender bisexuals’ read speech vis-à-vis cisgender lesbian, gay, and straight speakers (n = 27), specifically attending to three measures of /s/: center of gravity, skew, and duration. Tukey HSD are calculated from three ANOVA models fit for each dependent measure. Comparing within sexuality but across gender, there are three main findings: bisexual speakers differ from each other only in terms of center of gravity, lesbian and gay speakers differ from each other only in terms of skew, and straight speakers differ from each other in terms of center of gravity and skew. In other words, the way in which the groups of men and women differ depends on their sexuality. (Duration was not significant for any of the intra-sexuality, cross-gender comparisons.) Moreover, group-by-group comparisons indicate that bisexual men differ from gay and straight men in a way that is distinct from how bisexual women differ from lesbian and straight women. Bisexual women differ from lesbian women in terms of center of gravity and duration and from straight women only in terms of duration, whereas bisexual men differ from gay men in terms of skew and duration and from straight men only in terms of duration. I suggest that the differences in the group-by-group comparisons are potentially explained by differences in the intersection of gender and sexuality experienced by bisexual men and women. Together, these results trouble the stereotype that bisexuality is simply an amalgam of gay-/lesbian-ness and straightness and shed light on the intersectional experiences of bisexuals.
https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/lavlang/2021/sunday/28
