Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

The Importance of Voice to MtF Transition Study


Dev

Recommended Posts

  • Admin

Afternoon everyone!  We've been approached by a student at a UK university who is doing a study on the importance of voice in transitioning from male to female.  I'll let her words speak for themselves below to outline the scope and purpose of the study.  This is open to folks outside the UK - interviews can be conducted via Skype sessions if a telephone call isn't feasible.  The study is being run by Emily Boville - her contact information is in the text below.  Please email her directly if you'd like to be considered for an interview for her study.

 

Emily is looking to complete her interviews in January, though she may be able to accommodate some in December if there are time constraints on your end.

 

Quote

You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully. Talk to others about the study if you wish.


Ask if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether you wish to take part.

 

1. What is the purpose of the study?


This study is part of my final year undergraduate research project which will form part of my degree in BSc Speech and Language Pathology. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of the importance of voice quality with regards to your identity, and what other aspects around voice hold significance for transgender people. This can aid in the development of future speech and language therapy.

 

2. Why have I been chosen?


You have been chosen as you are over 18 and self-define as a member of the transgender community, so are able to provide insight into how your voice impacts upon your overall identity. You do not need to have received any speech therapy or medical intervention in order to participate and can be at any stage of transition. In total, approximately 6-10 people will be interviewed to try capture a range of experiences and views on the matter.

 

3. Do I have to take part?

 

No. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do, you will be given this information sheet to keep and will be asked to sign a consent form. You are still free to withdraw without giving a reason. Methods of withdrawing from the research are identified in section 8.

 

4. What will happen to me if I take part?

 

You will be asked to take part in a 30-45 minute interview. The researcher will ask you about your opinions and experiences of how your voice has impacted on your identity, as these are what the project is interested in exploring. You do not have to answer any questions you do not feel comfortable with. The interview will be audio recorded in order for the researcher to reflect on what has been discussed. These recordings will be stored securely to ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times, according to the data storage policies of Manchester Metropolitan University. Only the researcher will have access to the recordings.

 

5. What are the possible benefits of taking part?

 

I cannot promise the study will be advantageous to you directly, however, the information we receive may help to improve our understanding of the importance of voice to transgender people, to better shape speech and language therapy to meet individual needs.

 

6. What happens when the research study stops?

 

After the interviews are collected they will be analysed to identify common themes and experiences. This anonymised data will then be used as part of the final research project which is due for submission on the 20th April 2018. The research will then be marked by staff from Manchester Metropolitan University.
If you would like to receive a summary of the research, once completed, please email: [email protected]

 

7. Will my taking part in the study be kept confidential?

 

All the information collected about you during the course of the research will remain strictly confidential. No personal information or information which could lead to your identification will be used as part of the research project. Data will be collected through audio recording and then transcribed to allow for further analysis. Any data stored about you in the interview, including notes and recordings will be stored on password protected devices
The data collected will be stored and only handled by the researcher, however, it may be shared in an anonymised format to allow for marking by the project supervisor and Manchester Metropolitan University. There is also the possibility of the research being published, but there will be no way to identify you from the research.

 

You will be given an individual ID number with your consent form; this ID will be used in relation to all aspects of your data in replacement of any personal details. Any quotes used will be assigned a pseudonym.
Audio recordings and data will be kept securely until the research project has been presented for examination and a final mark has been awarded by Manchester Metropolitan University. After which, it will be disposed of securely. The procedures used for handling, processing, storage and destruction of your data are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998.

 

8. What if something goes wrong?

 

If you think you may be distressed or upset by the topic of the interview, please do not take part. If you feel uncomfortable with any of the topics discussed during the interview or the topics cause some distress, you are free to end the interview at any point. For further support, the LGBT Foundation provides a helpline for advice, support and information and can be contacted on 0345 330 3030 or online at www.lgbt.foundation.
Manchester Metropolitan University has a procedure for addressing complaints from participants as to their treatment by researchers. The person at MMU responsible for receiving such complaints about this project is Dr Emma Turley (Project Supervisor). She can be contacted at [email protected].

 

To withdraw from this research please email [email protected] stating your ID number. This can be done up to the 16th February 2018, however, it will not be possible to withdraw your data after this date

 

9. Contact Details:

 

If you would like any further information about the study or have any questions, please feel free to contact:
Principal Researcher: Emily Boville [email protected]

 

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

It does sound interesting and i may volunteer.  I wonder how my accent might detract.  After all i speak proper english without the funny accent British folks have.:)

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

Link to comment
  • Admin

Ol' Foghorn Ellie here has already taken part in a couple of these research surveys and I hope this person finds them and cites them.  I have found that it is more speech patterns, vocabulary and the non-verbal communication elements than the pitch of the voice that make our transitions go more smoothly, and some of that is fascinating when you realize the complexity of the elements that go into why my in-person voice is taken as feminine at about 98% certainty.  My telephone voice has other factors that go into a less than 55% feminine identification rate, but most of those are concerned with prejudices of the phone callers, faulty cold call scripts and ancient history contact names on the phone lists.  It has improved over the last six years as people see my Vicky name, anticipate a female and get one on the phone.  The ones calling my dead name and who anticipate a male have a helluva time getting my gender right.

Link to comment
  • Forum Moderator

The issue I find with many of these surveys, this one included is the small sample size (approximately 6-10).  They do not seem to have a true representative slice of the population.  

 

I have to agree with your statement.  I know many (cis) women with deep voices who's gender is never questioned. 

4 minutes ago, VickySGV said:

I have found that it is more speech patterns, vocabulary and the non-verbal communication elements than the pitch of the voice that make our transitions go more smoothly,

 

Jani

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/4/2017 at 1:30 PM, Charlize said:

It does sound interesting and i may volunteer.  I wonder how my accent might detract.  After all i speak proper english without the funny accent British folks have.:)

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

 Hi Charlize

 

There's no need to worry about your accent! My research isn't looking at each participants' voice specifically but their perceptions of feminine voice, the impact this has had on transition (if any) and opinions on voice therapy.  If anything I'm more concerned about my accent as I'm originally from the North East of England so it isn't your typical British accent! If you do choose to participate I'll make sure I tone it down as even my fellow Brits often struggle to make out some of the things I'm saying :D

Link to comment
On 12/4/2017 at 5:54 PM, VickySGV said:

Ol' Foghorn Ellie here has already taken part in a couple of these research surveys and I hope this person finds them and cites them.  I have found that it is more speech patterns, vocabulary and the non-verbal communication elements than the pitch of the voice that make our transitions go more smoothly, and some of that is fascinating when you realize the complexity of the elements that go into why my in-person voice is taken as feminine at about 98% certainty.  My telephone voice has other factors that go into a less than 55% feminine identification rate, but most of those are concerned with prejudices of the phone callers, faulty cold call scripts and ancient history contact names on the phone lists.  It has improved over the last six years as people see my Vicky name, anticipate a female and get one on the phone.  The ones calling my dead name and who anticipate a male have a helluva time getting my gender right.

 

Hi Vicky

 

This is exactly the sort of information I'm looking to gather. Much of the speech and language therapy techniques for trans voice at the moment, tend to focus on pitch. I'm hoping this research will help to open up the field to consider things such as conversation context, intonation and body language in therapy.

 

As part of the research project I have to complete a literature review so I have read a lot of professional journals and current research on the subject of transgender voice, but if you have any details of the survey's you have participated in I would be very interesting in hearing about them.

 

Kind regards,

 

Emily 

Link to comment
On 12/4/2017 at 6:10 PM, Jani423 said:

The issue I find with many of these surveys, this one included is the small sample size (approximately 6-10).  They do not seem to have a true representative slice of the population.  

 

I have to agree with your statement.  I know many (cis) women with deep voices who's gender is never questioned. 

 

Jani

 

Hi Jani

 

 

I agree that the sample size is not a very representative sample. However, as I am still only an undergraduate student and not yet qualified speech and language therapist, I'm unfortunately not provided with the time or funding to complete a larger study.  I hope that the findings of my research will help to give more insight and understanding into the deeper considerations necessary for successful and meaningful voice therapy for the Trans community. This foundation may also allow me to develop the study further once I do graduate.

 

I hope this gives you a bit more background as to why the study is so small!

 

Thanks

 

Emily

 

Link to comment
  • Admin

I did participate in Emily's study, and found it interesting and enjoyable.  Her accent requires some careful listening but isn't a majpr drawback.  I would suggest not having Metallica playing in the background while you talk.  :P  I think the study will be worthwhile.

 

Carolyn Marie

Link to comment
  • 10 months later...
On 12/4/2017 at 12:10 PM, Jani said:

The issue I find with many of these surveys, this one included is the small sample size (approximately 6-10).  They do not seem to have a true representative slice of the population.  

 

I have to agree with your statement.  I know many (cis) women with deep voices who's gender is never questioned. 

 

Jani

Sorry for slight off topic, but the trick is to use tone for emphasis rather then volume levels and learning how to control your voices resonance. It’s very difficult what helped me was my experience playing the clarinet in middle school which helped in getting used to use my mouth rather then my chest for how the for where the voice is resonated. Then like everything repetition is key. Don’t try to go super high pitch because your voice will crack. Although with practice you can raise your octave some.

 

George Washington University has a great program where you can work with students there who where in my experience very good. It was worth every penny. If anyone is in the DC area I highly recommended them.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   7 Members, 0 Anonymous, 83 Guests (See full list)

    • Heather Shay
    • Mirrabooka
    • Ashley0616
    • Betty K
    • AllieJ
    • April Marie
    • Petra Jane
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,942
    • Most Online
      8,356

    taxicab
    Newest Member
    taxicab
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Amyjay
      Amyjay
      (58 years old)
    2. bettyjean
      bettyjean
    3. Breanna
      Breanna
      (52 years old)
    4. Emily Ayla
      Emily Ayla
    5. JET182
      JET182
  • Posts

    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
      Having just a normal emotional day.
    • Heather Shay
      AMUSEMENT The feeling when you encounter something silly, ironic, witty, or absurd, which makes you laugh. You have the urge to be playful and share the joke with others. Similar words: Mirth Amusement is the emotional reaction to humor. This can be something that is intended to be humorous, like when someone tells a good joke or when a friend dresses up in a ridiculous costume. But it can also be something that you find funny that was not intended to be humorous, like when you read a sign with a spelling error that turns it into an ironic pun. For millennia, philosophers and scholars have been attempting to explain what exactly it is that makes something funny. This has led to several different theories. Nowadays, the most widely accepted one is the Incongruity Theory, which states that something is amusing if it violates our standards of how things are supposed to be. For example, Charlie Chaplin-style slapstick is funny because it violates our norms of competence and proper conduct, while Monty Python-style absurdity is funny because it violates reason and logic. However, not every standard or norm violation is necessarily funny. Violations can also evoke confusion, indignation, or shock. An important condition for amusement is that there is a certain psychological distance to the violation. One of the ways to achieve this is captured by the statement ‘comedy is tragedy plus time’. A dreadful mistake today may become a funny story a year from now. But it can also be distant in other ways, for instance, because it happened to someone you do not know, or because it happens in fiction instead of in real life. Amusement also needs a safe and relaxed environment: people who are relaxed and among friends are much more likely to feel amused by something. A violation and sufficient psychological distance are the basic ingredients for amusement, but what any one person find funny will depend on their taste and sense of humor. There are dozens of ‘humor genres’, such as observational comedy, deadpan, toilet humor, and black comedy. Amusement is contagious: in groups, people are more prone to be amused and express their amusement more overtly. People are more likely to share amusement when they are with friends or like-minded people. For these reasons, amusement is often considered a social emotion. It encourages people to engage in social interactions and it promotes social bonding. Many people consider amusement to be good for the body and the soul. By the end of the 20th century, humor and laughter were considered important for mental and physical health, even by psychoneuroimmunology researchers who suggested that emotions influenced immunity. This precipitated the ‘humor and health movement’ among health care providers who believed that humor and laughter help speed recovery, including in patients suffering from cancer1). However, the evidence for health benefits of humor and laughter is less conclusive than commonly believed2. Amusement is a frequent target of regulation: we down-regulate it by shifting our attention to avoid inappropriate laughter, or up-regulate it by focusing on a humorous aspect of a negative situation. Interestingly, amusement that is purposefully up-regulated has been found to have the same beneficial physical and psychological effects as the naturally experienced emotion. Amusement has a few clear expressions that emerge depending on the intensity of the emotion. When people are mildly amused, they tend to smile or chuckle. When amusement intensifies, people laugh out loud and tilt or bob their head. The most extreme bouts of amusement may be accompanied by uncontrollable laughter, tears, and rolling on the floor. Most cultures welcome and endorse amusement. Many people even consider a ‘good sense of humor’ as one of the most desirable characteristics in a partner. At the same time, most cultures have (implicit) rules about what is the right time and place for amusement. For example, displays of amusement may be deemed inappropriate in situations that demand seriousness or solemness, such as at work or during religious rituals.
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • April Marie
      Good morning, everyone!!! Two cups of coffee in the books and I am just feeling so wonderful this morning. Not sure why, but I'm happy and smiling.   Enjoy this beautiful day!!!
    • Heather Shay
      A U.S. dollar bill can be folded approximately 4,000 times in the same place before it will tear. -You cannot snore and dream at the same time. -The average person walks the equivalent of three times around the world in a lifetime. -A hippo’s wide open mouth is big enough to fit a 4-foot-tall child in. -Chewing gum while you cut an onion will help keep you from crying.
    • Susan R
      Love it! This is great news. We need more of this to combat the excessive hate-filled rhetoric and misinformation. 👍
    • Susan R
      The experience was the same for me @April Marie. I slept much deeper and I woke up each morning feeling so much more restful sleeping with forms solidly in place. For me, wearing breast forms at night started when before I was a teenager. I had no access up to modern breast forms and certainly no way to buy mastectomy bras back then. I wore a basic bra my mom had put in a donation box and two pairs of soft cotton socks. I have some crazy memories of things I did in my youth to combat my GD but regardless, these makeshift concoctions helped me work through it all.   All My Best, Susan R🌷
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Colorado isn't exactly a Republican place, and won't become one anytime soon.  I think those folks might be better off not spending their time playing Don Quixote.    We certainly have our share of California "refugees" moving into where I live, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Coloradans too.  I suspect the trend over the next few years will see the blue areas getting more blue and the red areas getting more red as anybody who can relocate tries to find a place where they fit better.   
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, at least it'll be a place some folks could choose.  Options are a good thing.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      My family would have gobbled that jar up in a minute or two.  When we do have pickled herring, its usually for Christmas.  I didn't grow up with that particular dish, but I grew up in a Greek family so I like just about any kind of fish if I can get it.  However, ocean fish and freshwater fish taste so different.  We usually have more catfish and tilapia to eat than anything else.    What I can't quite get used to is the tons of cabbage my GF insists on eating.  When you live with a Russian, there is always cabbage soup.  Always.  When I first moved in with her, breakfast was "shchi" for soup and either bread or "kasha" which is a bowl of boiled buckwheat with butter and salt.  Those dishes can be made in any number of ways, some are better than others.  In the winter, it can even be salty and sour like kraut.  Not exactly sauerkraut, but packed in tubs with vinegar and salt so it keeps partially for the winter.  But I drew the line when the cabbage soup included pieces of fried snake one day.  😆
    • Ashley0616
      Good evening to you as well @Mmindy   That is awesome that you have support from her side. My dad has communicated with me once and that was because he was forced to. His new wife wanted to spend time with my kids. He hated me so much he was in the process of taking my rights away as a parent to my two boys. He was talking to a lawyer and I called him out on it. I don't love him at all. I'll respect him because I wouldn't be here without him but I wished I had another father. My uncles don't talk to me and unfriended me on Facebook. Almost all cousins except for two are still Facebook friends but they don't give me any support. My mom said she won't support me with that but she has said that she loves me. I have nieces and nephews that are still Facebook friends but they have yet to talk to me. I have one sister that supports me out of three. The other's disrespect me by deadnaming me. They have never called me their sister. I think for them they think it's still a phase. They don't ask questions about me being trans. I have to bring it up and on the look of their faces they don't look comfortable about it. 
    • Mmindy
      Good evening @Ashley0616,   I just got offline with HP tech support trying to get my printer tool box icon locked to my tool bar. This is one of the most important features of my printer that I like because it keeps track of ink, paper, and scanned documents. I'm diffidently not a computer geek.   I'll catch up with the other bookmarks next week. We leave to go home for the Easter Holiday with our families. Saturday with her side, and Sunday with my side. What's odd about that is I'm out to more of her side and they're reluctantly supportive. My side on the other hand are less supportive, and my sister just under me in age will not acknowledge my being there. She will be constantly moving to keep from dealing with me. I'm dead to her.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋  
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...