Speech rate in males, females, and male--to--female transsexuals

Author： Van Borsel John De Maesschalck Dorothy

ISSN： 1464-5076

Source： Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, Vol.22, Iss.9, 2008-08, pp. : 679-685

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Abstract

For clinicians treating transsexual clients it is important to address primarily those characteristics whose modification is most relevant to the creation of the desired gender presentation. The present study investigated the extent to which a modification of speech rate is warranted in male--to--female transsexuals. Comparison of speech rate measured in 100 non--transsexual males, 100 non--transsexual females, and 28 individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of male--to--female gender dysphoria showed no significant differences. This result suggests that a modification of overall speech rate in male--to--female transsexuals is not really indicated but does not exclude that speech rate in males and females is perceived differently by listeners or that gender differences exist in temporal aspects of speech at a micro--level.