Why do gay guys talk differently

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. They want to know how men acquire this manner of speaking, and why – especially when society so often stigmatizes those with gay-sounding voices. Gay male speech has been the focus of numerous modern stereotypes, as well as sociolinguistic studies, particularly within North American English.

The "gay voice" is usually a result of men adapting their speech patterns to be more socially compatible with women.

why do some guys sound feminine

It's a stereotype because only some gay men have the "gay voice". Gay men have a stereotypical voice. Sorta. Studies have shown that people can tell the difference between a gay man and a straight man just by their voice. (But not bisexuals.) But why? What is. 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?. Published 29 July am. Updated 8 January pm. Share this with family and friends. What it means to 'sound gay' Most of us are familiar with the stereotype of a "gay voice. The man might pronounce his p's, t's and k's very crisply, or have what's sometimes incorrectly described as a "lisp. But is there any reality to this stereotype? Do gay men actually sound different than straight men?

And if so, why? These are the questions in a new documentary, "Do I Sound Gay? It raises a complicated discussion about gay pride, lingering homophobia, disguised misogyny, and the extent to which we all alter the image that we present to the world. As the film begins, Thorpe is disturbed because he realizes he doesn't like his voice any more.

He's just gone through a break-up and is feeling unconfident and low. Thorpe explores in other ways the meaning behind his voice and his discomfort with it. He carries out thoughtful conversations with his friends and prominent gay and lesbian figures — including George Takei, David Sedaris, Dan Savage, Margaret Cho and Don Lemon — about what it means to "sound gay.

The film asks more questions than it answers. But in so doing, it invites everyone to think about what their own voice says about who they are, where they came from, and where they want to go. To start with, the stereotypical "gay voice" isn't necessarily gay. In a study published in , Ron Smyth, a linguist at the University of Toronto, found that participants readily separated recordings of 25 diverse voices into those who "sounded gay" and those who "sounded straight.

The trouble was that these labels had little relationship with sexuality. In Smyth's study, people correctly guessed a man's sexuality about 60 percent of the time, only a little better than random. In another small study at the University of Hawaii, both gay and straight listeners were equally as likely to misclassify people as gay or straight. In fact, the straight men with so-called gay voices weren't aware that people thought they sounded gay at all.

It turns out that what most people perceive as a stereotypical "gay voice" is just a male voice that sounds more stereotypically feminine -- mainly, higher pitched and more melodious. And that often has more to do with the voices that a person identified with as they grew up, rather than sexuality. Smyth and other researchers say some men, both gay and straight, develop more feminine voices because they are influenced by women when young.

They might be raised by women, or just gravitate toward female role models or friends, Smyth says. But that doesn't mean that they are gay. Beyond the environment that a person is raised in, one's peers and self-identity can also influence their voice. Linguists have long observed that people code-switch — slip into a different accent or way of speaking when they're talking to different groups of people, sometimes without even realizing it.

If you've ever found yourself talking to someone with a different accent and gradually emulating them, you're familiar with the idea. For gay men, adopting what's called "camp" -- a theatrical gay accent, like an old-school starlet -- can be a way of embracing their identity. And there may be more subtle ways that sexuality and our sense of self influence our voices.