Gaydar—Sendg Mixed Signals | Department of Lguistics | Universy of Colorado Boulr

Contents:

• GAY LISP
• GAYDAR—SENDG MIXED SIGNALS
• THE PREVALENCE OF LISPG GAY MEN
• GAY PCH, LISP?
• GAY LISP

GAY LISP

A gay lisp is actually not a lisp but refers to stereotypil speech attribut assigned to and sometim seen gay mal. Several speech featur are stereotyped as markers of gay male inty: reful pronunciatn, wi pch range, high and rapidly changg pch, breathy tone, lengthened itive sounds, and pronunciatn of t as ts and d as dz.

Some rearchers report that North Amerin gay men tend to pronounce sibilants (s, z, sh, and the like) wh assibilatn -- more sibilatn, hissg, or strincy.

A study by Rudolf Gd vtigated claims that people n intify gay mal by their speech and that the listeners e pch range and fluctuatn cidg. Gd found that listeners uld intify gay male speakers, but that there were no nvcg differenc pch. Some analysts say gay people speak wh an affected accent, as a way of signallg their inty and affiliatn wh the gay subculture, or a way to exprs femy.

GAYDAR—SENDG MIXED SIGNALS

Gay stereotypg. Encyclopedia article on "gay speak". Enomist article on soundg gay.

THE PREVALENCE OF LISPG GAY MEN

Beyond Lispg: Co Swchg and Gay Speech Styl. Ask a Homo: Livg for the Lisp. Wele back to “Ask a Homo,” Outward’s no-judgement answer service for all your qutns on LGBTQ polics, culture, etiquette, language, and other queer nundms.

This week, Bryan Lowr n-sth-irs the li-sth-p and other elements of the “stereotypil gay manner of speakg”—and honey, ’s jt fabulo!

Send your queri—for publitn—to slateoutward@, and please put “ASK A HOMO” the subject le.

GAY PCH, LISP?

Gaydar is a reified skill that nfirms the existence of a gay speech muny, but n terme a speaker's membership?

GAY LISP

Many people thk that they n regnize a gay man based on his speech. In other words, they believe that they have a gaydar.