Transgender voiceUseful Reference

Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Transsexual ClientA Comprehensive Clinical GuideEds. Richard K. Adler, Ph.D., CCC-SLP; Sandy Hirsch, M.S., CCC-SLP, and Michelle Mordaunt, M.S., CCC-SLP

Transgender voice Male to female

Can be one of the more challenging aspects of gender transformation

Hormonal treatments do not typically influence voice

Female to male less of an therapeutic issue due to hormonal

effects on vocal fold mass – result is a masculinization of voice

Anatomical Obstacles Vocal fold size Vocal tract size

Therapeutic approaches Pitch shift

Get close to female range Dramatic pitch changes can result in vocal problems

Pitch Variation Greater/more varied pitch inflections

Voice Quality Slight increase in breathiness of voice “reduce” vocal effort – “lighten” the voice

Pragmatics, nonverbals, etc

Man, unmodified synthesis:Man shifted toward woman, pitch and formants:Man shifted toward woman, pitch only:Man shifted toward woman formants only:

Woman, unmodified synthesis:Woman shifted toward man, pitch and formants:Woman shifted toward man, pitch only:Woman shifted toward man formants only:

(men: msi1463.wav; women: women: wsi1746.wav)

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CONDITIONMUS WUS MPE MPO MEO WPE WPO WEO

= PERCENT HEARD AS MEN

= PERCENT HEARD AS WOMENTIMIT Sentences

RESULTS

Therapeutic approaches Surgical

Surgically increase tension of vocal folds