Investigating Hyperarticulation as a Gay Speech Stereotype in Puerto Rican Bilinguals
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Phonetics and Phonolgy, Language and Gender, Sociolinguistics
Location
MBSC Gallery Room 308
Start Date
19-10-2024 3:00 PM
End Date
19-10-2024 3:30 PM
Abstract
This study examines the hyperarticulation of /s/ and /ɾ/ in the production of stereotypically gay male speech by Puerto Rican bilinguals living in Western New York State. Hyperarticulating speech sounds in relation to gay speech styles has been studied in English by researchers such as Podesva (2007), who linked hyperarticulated coronal stop releases with a ‘diva’ persona, and Mack & Munson (2012), who showed perceptions of a gay identity when listeners were presented with misarticulated or dental /s/, as well as /s/ tokens with a high-frequency compact spectrum. Mack (2009) showed evidence that Puerto Rican Spanish may show some similar patterns where the presence of /s/ in speakers’ speech correlated with a percept of gay identity. Based on this evidence, this paper seeks to inform the following questions:
- To what extent do bilingual speakers hyperarticulate /s/ and /ɾ/ in their productions of stereotypically gay male speech?
- How does speakers’ language dominance interact with their articulations?
A total of 16 Puerto Rican Spanish-English bilinguals completed a word reading task in two successive takes. In the first take, participants read 217 words using their “normal” voice, however, in the second take, they were instructed to read the same words with their best imitation of a stereotypically gay-sounding male. 2,017 tokens of /ɾ/ were analyzed via logistic regression. Spanish-dominant speakers used significantly more hyperarticulated /ɾ/ variants, producing [r] more often than their English-dominant counterparts. 1,512 tokens of /s/ center of gravity, to measure frontedness, were analyzed via ANOVA and a significant relationship between the “take” and a positive change in /s/ center of gravity between the two takes among all participants was found. Taken together, these findings suggest support for the stylistic use of hyperarticulation, or clear speech styles more broadly, in conveying gay speech stereotypes, with Spanish-dominant speakers coalescing around an additional variable. Traditionally, male speech favors reduction (Ortiz López, 2022), so these results may be due to viewing any speech style that violates heteronormative expectations as inherently gay, as Zwicky (1997) and Barrett (1997) argue.
Abstract Bibliography
Investigating Hyperarticulation as a Gay Speech Stereotype in Puerto Rican Bilinguals
MBSC Gallery Room 308
This study examines the hyperarticulation of /s/ and /ɾ/ in the production of stereotypically gay male speech by Puerto Rican bilinguals living in Western New York State. Hyperarticulating speech sounds in relation to gay speech styles has been studied in English by researchers such as Podesva (2007), who linked hyperarticulated coronal stop releases with a ‘diva’ persona, and Mack & Munson (2012), who showed perceptions of a gay identity when listeners were presented with misarticulated or dental /s/, as well as /s/ tokens with a high-frequency compact spectrum. Mack (2009) showed evidence that Puerto Rican Spanish may show some similar patterns where the presence of /s/ in speakers’ speech correlated with a percept of gay identity. Based on this evidence, this paper seeks to inform the following questions:
- To what extent do bilingual speakers hyperarticulate /s/ and /ɾ/ in their productions of stereotypically gay male speech?
- How does speakers’ language dominance interact with their articulations?
A total of 16 Puerto Rican Spanish-English bilinguals completed a word reading task in two successive takes. In the first take, participants read 217 words using their “normal” voice, however, in the second take, they were instructed to read the same words with their best imitation of a stereotypically gay-sounding male. 2,017 tokens of /ɾ/ were analyzed via logistic regression. Spanish-dominant speakers used significantly more hyperarticulated /ɾ/ variants, producing [r] more often than their English-dominant counterparts. 1,512 tokens of /s/ center of gravity, to measure frontedness, were analyzed via ANOVA and a significant relationship between the “take” and a positive change in /s/ center of gravity between the two takes among all participants was found. Taken together, these findings suggest support for the stylistic use of hyperarticulation, or clear speech styles more broadly, in conveying gay speech stereotypes, with Spanish-dominant speakers coalescing around an additional variable. Traditionally, male speech favors reduction (Ortiz López, 2022), so these results may be due to viewing any speech style that violates heteronormative expectations as inherently gay, as Zwicky (1997) and Barrett (1997) argue.