Intonation and Fundamental Frequency in Male-to-Female Transsexuals

¹ Auburn University at Montgomery, AL
² University of Central Florida, Orlando
³ Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center Chicago, IL

Twenty speakers, diagnosed as male-to-female transsexuals, produced conversational recordings of speech and voice. The samples were submitted to perceptual evaluations and to acoustic analysis by means of a Visi-Pitch, Apple IIe microcomputer system. Transsexuals categorized as having female voices had higher fundamental frequencies (f₀), less extensive downward intonations, a higher percentage of upward intonations and downward shifts, and a smaller percentage of level intonations and level shifts than transsexuals categorized as having male voices. The lowest average f₀ identified as belonging to a female speaker was 155 Hz. Higher (more feminine) ratings on the masculinity-femininity dimension correlated with f₀ (r=.89), percentage of level shifts (r=–. 67), percentage of downward shifts (r=.50), percentage of level intonations (r=–.43), and percentage of upward intonations (r=.40). Findings are discussed in terms of the relative perceptual salience of average fundamental frequency and patterns of intonation for female voice quality.

Key Words: speech • intonation • frequency • transsexuals

Submitted on March 5, 1987
Accepted on March 22, 1989

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