Height and F0 Range as Identifying Parameters for the Sexual Orientation of Spanish-Speaking Men in Madrid
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24197/mcreilq.1.2024.267-292Keywords:
average pitch, pitch range, sexual orientation, gay speech, queer linguisticsAbstract
Sexual orientation, as a social factor, alongside others, influences the phonetic realization of individuals. However, Spanish sociolinguistics, in contrast to its American counterpart, has devoted limited research to this factor. This article aims to contribute to this theoretical gap by initiating an acoustic analysis of the tonal height and range distinction among homosexual and heterosexual Spanish-speaking males from the central peninsular region. Subsequently, it explores the potential perception of sexual orientation by Spanish-speaking judges of the same variety as the informants. The results of these analyses not only contribute theoretically to sociolinguistics (or socio-phonetics) but also hold practical implications for current issues in Forensic Phonetics. This includes, in both cases, a novel variable that has not been considered in previous analyses.
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