What is it about?
Gay speakers often anecdotally report using a 'straight voice' in straight contexts to avoid repercussion and hate. We examine this issue by analysing style-shifting in two features that people often associate with 'gay voice': /s/ and pitch. We find that speakers style-shift according to the perceived queer friendliness of the environment.
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Why is it important?
Our work shows that gay men adapt the way they speak depending on whether the context is perceived as 'safe' or 'unsafe' (i.e., straight vs. gay). We focus on Singapore given the importance of heteronormativity and the family unit in the development of the city state and the comparative lack of LGBTQ+ rights there.
Perspectives
Both authors are queer academics. The paper has some special significance to us because we recognise these behaviours in our own lives. For instance, when I interact with someone in a 'straight' context (e.g., the barber, watching a football match), I have noticed that my pitch will drop and I will attempt to sound 'more straight'. This paper explains why this is and provides empirical evidence to this effect.
Christian Ilbury
University of Edinburgh
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Navigating ‘safe’ and ‘non-safe’ queer spaces, Journal of Language and Sexuality, July 2024, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/jls.00036.kho.
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