Intonational Indices: Gender and the Utilization of F0 Capabilities

Abstract

Some aspects of voice production, especially intonation, are utilized by individuals as indices of sex, gender, and sexuality. This work examines this by comparison both across voices and within individuals’ voices. Each participant’s capable range of fundamental frequency (F0) was measured with methods from the voice studio alongside traditional sociolinguistic methods of speech elicitation such that participants’ utilization of F0 can be compared to their capabilities. It is found that gender, gender orientation (or one’s status as either cisgender or transgender), sexuality, gendered socialization factors, and physiological differences in the larynx each impact the ways in which intonation is utilized. This work engages with the field of gender theory, analyzing these voice differences as markers of identity which individuals consciously or subconsciously take on rather than as the natural result of (or a predictor for) sex/gender and sexuality. This work also discusses best practices for research involving trans subjects in order to promote fair treatment of this group, which faces disproportionate harm in research settings.