Mp. Gelfer et Kj. Schofield, Comparison of acoustic and perceptual measures of voice in male-to-female transsexuals perceived as female versus those perceived as male, J VOICE, 14(1), 2000, pp. 22-33
The present study explored significant differences between male-to-female t
ransgendered speakers perceived as male and those perceived as female in te
rms of speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and its variability, vowel form
ants for /a/ and /i/, and intonation measures. Fifteen individuals who iden
tified themselves as male-to-female transsexuals served as speaker subjects
, in addition to 6 biological female control subjects and 3 biological male
control subjects. Each subject was recorded reading the Rainbow Passage an
d producing the isolated vowels /a/ and /i/. Twenty undergraduate psycholog
y students served as listeners. Results indicated that subjects perceived a
s female had a higher mean SFF and higher upper limit of SFF than subjects
perceived as male. A significant correlation between upper limit of SFF and
ratings of femininity was achieved.