Fearless Friday: "Gay Accent"?
(Icon via garwlban)
Today's post is a quickie, because BD is commencing this weekend. Right now she's at a mandatory rehearsal, but soon we'll be off to spend time with her.
This recent article from South Africa gave me pause for thought this morning. You can read the whole thing here: http://www.queerlife.co.za/test/news/may2011/6518-the-gay-accent.html.
The gist of it is that both a Northwestern University Study from 2004 and a recent study by Ohio State found that lesbian women and gay men pronounce their vowels slightly differently from straight women and men, and that people notice this difference, choosing the correct orientaiton 75 percent of the time.
I find this fascinating.
For one, because I don't notice any sexual orientation accent. I truly don't. When I meet new people, I'm much more attuned to and interested in figuring out where they come from--their regional accent--than their sexual orientation.
For two, because the question at the end of this article is key: "Do[es] the “gay accent” theory have bearing on South African queer folk as well? Or is it a purely an American phenomenon?
Basically, what they're asking is: Is any "gay accent" the product of nature or nurture. How much of it is innate/genetic and how much of it is culture.
I have no idea. I'd love to know what you think.