Does my voice pass? (recording)

[A]

What the heck. My tongue never goes anywhere close to my teeth when I do an S. It's basically on my palate, behind my upper front teeth. If I put my tongue between my teeth, if it's too far back, it's "sh". If it touches my top teeth, it sounds like a softened "th". If it's too much towards the front, there's no sound but saliva drops do come out.

Now if I try to put my tongue BELOW my lower teeth, all I can do is a very windy "sh" or an "h". All of the sounds I have made following (and obviously misunderstanding) your instructions sounded undeniably and deeply retarded for someone to use as an S sound. Like someone with partial paralysis.

I really think I'm not understanding. To make an S, the tongue's tip just needs to touch the palate. I can't imagine it otherwise. So what the hell is it doing on the front teeth, and below the bottom ones at that?

[sarahb]

I hear male. However, the only thing I noticed was that the speech patterns were a bit feminine, which makes me lean towards a gay guy (still undoubtedly male though).

[Adam (birkin)]

your voice sounds unmacho to me, but still male. also slightly immature, like trying extra hard to sound manlier (like teen boys often do). asked my daughter just to be sure, she said you're a boy.

I get that from my brother lol. He does the same thing on the phone, I wasn't aware it came off that way. But, I suppose it's OK given that I look about that age anyway. I think I just need to get more comfortable with my presentation. Also, I'm glad you asked your daughter, kids give the best feedback.

As for the question of the S's, I can say that I do put my tongue on the ridge just behind my upper teeth, right before the curve of the roof of my mouth. I tried putting it on the tips of the lower teeth just now and it does seem to dull the S quite a lot. It's actually a really difficult habit to break. But I think I'm going to practice it.

[Sephirah]

What the heck. My tongue never goes anywhere close to my teeth when I do an S. It's basically on my palate, behind my upper front teeth. If I put my tongue between my teeth, if it's too far back, it's "sh". If it touches my top teeth, it sounds like a softened "th". If it's too much towards the front, there's no sound but saliva drops do come out.

Now if I try to put my tongue BELOW my lower teeth, all I can do is a very windy "sh" or an "h". All of the sounds I have made following (and obviously misunderstanding) your instructions sounded undeniably and deeply retarded for someone to use as an S sound. Like someone with partial paralysis.

I really think I'm not understanding. To make an S, the tongue's tip just needs to touch the palate. I can't imagine it otherwise. So what the hell is it doing on the front teeth, and below the bottom ones at that?

No, I'm just not explaining it well enough. Sorry. I think people maybe speak differently. Maybe differently shaped mouths, or tongues, or habits. I don't know. I do know that for me, the placement made a difference between sounding how I hear a lot of the women where I live sound, and how the men where I live sound.

[A]

x.x I do make a difference depending on where I place my tongue, but it's either S, either not S. :/

Is there a recording that compares those sounds somewhere? Maybe hearing it will light a bulb.

[Sephirah]

x.x I do make a difference depending on where I place my tongue, but it's either S, either not S. :/

Is there a recording that compares those sounds somewhere? Maybe hearing it will light a bulb.

Maybe this:

http://www.colorado.edu/news/multimedia/gender-perception-and-pronunciation-%E2%80%98s%E2%80%99-sounds

[A]

Oooh, I can hear the difference now. Can't for the life of me reproduce it or figure out what kind of S I make, but that's a beginning.

[aleon515]

You scared the heck out of cat who was sitting in my life. DUDE. I wouldn't worry re: ssss. I have heard of this but if I had to think about that it would drive me insane. Lots of trans guys get read as gay. In my whole FTM support group there are only a few guys who tend to get read as straight males. I think that there are patterns that are female and that gets read as gay, but still male.

Sephirah the audios are interesting. I agree re how they are read. But I really wonder re the second sample. It is NOT just the sss or whatever. I am not sure if it is the resonance or whatever. I don't think Caleb would get read as female. A lot of us take longer on the phone and I have only once been gendered correctly over the phone however 7 months on T, strangers are hanging up a lot. I think it might mean that I am getting correctly gendered over the phone and they think it's someone else. Something ELSE might go on over the phone such as reverting to earlier vocal patterns or something. As some of us take a LONG time to do so.


--Jay

[E-Brennan]

Unquestionably male.