Gay friendssss: effects of word-final /-s/ lengthening on perceptions of gender/sexuality in male voices.

Abstract

This paper explores effects of word-final coda /-s/ lengthening in perceptions of gender/sexuality in male voices, in Brazilian Portuguese. Such effects have been tested experimentally, according to the matched-guise technique, with acoustic stimuli defined by short (s-) or longer /-s/ (s+). Responses by 122 listeners, in semantic differential scales, show that four speakers were perceived as “less masculine/gayer-sounding” in their s+ guises. Such effect does not vary according to listener’s sex, education, age group or sexual orientation – which indicates an overall correlation between the linguistic variable and perceived gender/sexuality. However, listeners who have few gay friends in their social networks (relative to those who have many gay friends) tend to perceive the four speakers fewer times as “less masculine/gayer-sounding” in their s+ guises. This suggests that /-s/ as an index of gender/sexuality in male voices is subject to the access listeners have to /-s/ variation in their social practice (though the production of /-s/ lengthening has not yet been investigated). This study inserts Brazilian Portuguese among the languages in which the indexicality of /-s/ has been scrutinized, and it points out to directions in future research.
Keywords: /-s/ lengthening. Gender. Sexuality, Sociolinguistic perception.