Gay accent

Gay male speech has been the focus of numerous modern stereotypes, as well as sociolinguistic studies, particularly within North American English. Scientific research has uncovered phonetically significant features produced by many gay men and demonstrated that listeners accurately guess speakers' sexual orientation at rates greater than chance.

Mostly what people notice about gay speech, and specifically a stereotypical gay accent are things that make people sound feminine overall, such as the way people pronounce /s/, or certain word choices. An exploration of the gay accent and how it became popularized (@jvn / Instagram)As most people are accustomed to believe, gay men have a very “gay” sound when they speak. They might speak in higher pitches and a more melodious groove to their speech.

But is the gay accent even real? And if it is, why does it even exist?In an effort to increase my understanding of this world and how it. The gay community isn’t monolithic, so it’s incorrect to say there is a gay “accent” as if they were from another country or region. However, linguistics can point to specific speech patterns that are more common among gay men.

This style of speech is used to solidify the community but is also used by homophobic people to stereotype them. According to Joseph Radice, a linguistics. Why do some gay men “sound” gay? After three years of research, linguistics professors Henry Rogers and Ron Smyth may be on the verge of answering that question.

After identifying phonetic characteristics that seem to make a man’s voice sound gay, their best hunch is that some gay men may subconsciously adopt certain female speech patterns. Author David Sedaris, who's gay, says that when he stays at a hotel and calls down to the front desk, they always say, "Yes ma'am" to him. But I think a lot of gay men, including me, want to know why.

Ed says:.

Is There a 'Gay Accent'? |

Danny Ryan says:. The development of accents in people exposed to multiple types of voices during their childhood and youth is amazingly varied. Interestingly, in Romanian culture, straight men speaking in a very high pitch is part of normal speech in situations of surprise and anger, sometimes requiring men with deeper voices to use falsetto! Podesva theorized that gay men adopt California speech patterns because they're associated with "fun" and lightness, and there's evidence that gays outside of California do this too.

I was terrified of my mother finding out, so I talked in a "normal" voice around my family. Oh, come on, you knew what I meant. Abstract While race, religion, ethnicity, and sex will always remain salient social issues in our nation, sexual orientation is currently at the forefront of our national debate and will likely not abate in the foreseeable future. American Speech, On Campus. But it's a topic still shrouded in mystery.

When it does, people tell me I seem a completely different person. Sen says:. The best way to look at the gay accent is that it adds another dimension of everyday life, which would be dull if we all spoke, looked, and thought alike. I wonder if it is a genetic attribute.

What is the gay accent called

Females are typically XX and males are typically XY. Email Address. Both also came out as gay. I think that both genetics and learned behaviour contribute toward the development of gay-sounding speech patterns. Regarding the idea that men who sing in a higher range are gay, I'm a professional singer and by far most of the countertenors I've met are straight.

I have a family member who is gay.

The stereotypically gay ways of speaking are socially acquired in order to be accepted by other gay men who speak the same way, in my opinion. Lots of us modify the way we speak to fit in with, or to signal to, our tribe -- and this can be both calculated and instinctive. June 20, at pm. The 3 Types of Australian Accents 5.