汉语男性话者性取向与语音基频关系的感知实验初探

A Perceptual Study on the Relationship between Sexual Orientation of Male Speakers of Mandarin and Fundamental Frequency of Speech

本研究设计了两项听觉感知实验,基于汉语单音节语音对男性发音人做性取向评分,考察了性取向与基频特征(均值和范围)的关系。实验一发现,听者能在一定程度上判断男性话者的性取向,而且辨识结果与语音基频范围存在弱的负相关性。实验二利用语音合成手段,将同性恋男性和异性恋男性语音的基频特征互换,发现同性恋男性语音的基频抬高及范围变宽后,听者对其性取向的评分并无显著变化,而异性恋男性语音的基频降低及范围变窄后,听者对其性取向的评分显著向同性恋偏移。实验结果表明,流行的刻板印象(同性恋男性的音高更高且范围更宽)并无根据,听者并未据此刻板印象判断男性话者的性取向,反而在一定程度上,语音基频范围越小越易被判为同性恋;而且,听者对男性话者性取向的判断还依赖于基频以外的其他音征。

Two perceptual experiments were conducted to investigate the relationship between fundamental frequency(i.e.,F0)characteristics(level and range)of speech and the perceived sexual orientation of male speakers of Mandarin.The first experiment showed that sexual orientation of male speakers of Mandarin could be identified to some extent by native listeners,and a weak negative correlation was found between the perceived score of gayness and F0 range.In the second experiment,by mutually exchanging the F0 contours of homosexual and heterosexual male speech,the perceptual score of gayness kept almost unchanged for the homosexual male speech,whereas the heterosexual male speech became more gay-sounding.The results suggest that the perception of gayness is not based on the misleading stereotype of homosexual male speech(i.e.,higher pitch and wider pitch range).Instead,gay-sounding speech is weakly correlated with a narrower F0 range.Moreover,the perception of sexual orientation relies on other acoustic cues in addition to F0 of speech.