We have tried everything to change our voice, everything from surgery to voice training with mixed results.
NYU researchers identify tool to help transgender women have a more authentic voiceWhat do you think?
EurekAlert!
New York University
September 4, 2018
New York University researchers have identified visual-acoustic biofeedback as a new tool to assist in voice modification therapy for transgender women.
The research, which appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Voice, identifies a new avenue for this technology as a tool to help trans women find a voice that matches their gender identity.
"Our voices are so much a part of who we are," said Deanna Kawitzky, the study's lead author, who conducted the research as a student in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at NYU Steinhardt's School of Culture, Education and Human Development. "For transgender women, it can be really challenging to find a voice that matches how they choose to present their gender identity. This study suggests that biofeedback may be used as a tool to help trans women achieve a voice they are comfortable with. Biofeedback has not been used in this way before, and we're excited to have identified a new direction for transgender voice therapy research."
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How it Works
In visual-acoustic biofeedback, the learner speaks into a microphone and views a real-time representation of the acoustic signal of speech on a monitor--in this case, the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract. These frequencies signal the differences between sounds, such as "ah" versus "ee," but also differ across male and female speakers. In the present study, transgender female participants were provided with targets representing resonant frequencies that are typical for cisgender female speakers. They produced words while viewing the biofeedback display and were encouraged to adjust their speech until their resonant frequencies lined up with these targets. Participants were able to make a significant shift in their resonant frequencies in response to the biofeedback targets. In addition, words that were produced with higher resonant frequencies were rated "more feminine" by blinded listeners.
I think Jessie, over at Cyrsti's Condo, might be using something similar to this with her voice therapist. It could be helpful for one to literally see how they sound. Another way would be to attach electrodes to a sensitive body part that would administer a shock every time the voice fell out of range. That's aversion therapy. I can get enough aversion just by looking at the face of someone I'm talking to, however. :-)
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