![]() Studies show that cis women hold their tongues in a more anterior position in the mouth. Articulationįeminine-perceived articulation is sometimes lighter than masculine-perceived articulation. If that kind of sound suits you, be sure to not be too airy, which can sound unnatural or make it hard to be loud when you need to be or even cause vocal health problems. Some transfeminine individuals try to be breathy, giving their voice a soft, light quality. Vocal quality can be an important component of a feminine-perceived voice. Resonance can be difficult to learn, but once you get it, it can make a big difference. Subtle movements of the tongue can also restrict space in the mouth and throat. Try to aim your vocal energy forward, in the mask of your face, to reduce the reverberation of the voice in the back of the head. To do so, you aim to utilize less of your vocal space by shifting the placement of your vocal energy and tongue, so that your voice sounds smaller, brighter, or less boomy. So, it's possible to sound more like a violin even though you have the body of a cello. ![]() Luckily, resonance is not solely affected by biology (size), it's how you behaviorally shape it in the upper airway. An analogy is the difference in tone between a cello and a violin. If you have a larger head and neck, your voice may sound bigger, darker, or boomy. For humans, that space is in our chest, neck, and head. But what IS resonance? It is the reverberation of sound in a space. You may have heard that resonance can make the difference between being perceived as naturally feminine vs. Slide into higher pitches to avoid voice breaks and hard voice onsetsĮnd on a slightly higher pitch at the ends of sentences when the meaning allows it Move your pitch smoothly, like rolling hills rather than sharp peaksīlend or connect each sound with the next sound Move your pitch around more, with higher highs This and other ways to shape your pitch movement are as follows: But don’t overdo it! Just bring out the meaning a little more than you normally do. So, in addition to raising your average pitch, you can aim to be more expressive by moving your pitch around more, with higher highs. ![]() This target would allow natural pitch movement of about 12 semitones in conversation.Ī feminine-perceived voice can also have a wider pitch range. This chart also shows an example training target for an average feminine speaking pitch of 185 Hz (F#3) or 196 Hz (G3) (which may or may not apply to you). Studies show that the average cisgender masculine speaking pitch is about an octave lower than cisgender feminine speaking pitch (see my interpretation per the chart). For most people, without a higher pitch, it is very difficult to be heard as feminine. While pitch is not the only feature used to achieve more feminine voice, it is often the most critical part. When they do apply to you, they may be shaped in various ways to optimize the feminine-perceived aspects of your own speaking style in context. They are not inherently female, and do not all apply to all women in all American contexts, or necessarily to your particular needs or in all situations you find yourself in. They apply to some people some of the time based on how the average ear interprets them. And, of course, research has been conducted on women’s speech and feminine-perceived speech in different situations.īelow is a brief explanation of various basic features of feminine-perceived communication based on research and norms in Standard American English. People perceive speech as more feminine based on their personal experiences, social expectations, and social norms. ![]() There are many ways to be perceived as more feminine when talking, and you are likely familiar with one or more of them.
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