Comparison of acoustic and perceptual measures of voice in male-to-female transsexuals perceived as female versus those perceived as male

The present study explored significant differences between male-to-female transgendered speakers perceived as male and those perceived as female in terms of speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and its variability, vowel formats for /a/ and /i/, and intonation measures. Fifteen individuals who identified themselves as male-to-female transsexuals served as speaker subjects, in addition to 6 biological female control subjects and 3 biological male control subjects. Each subject was recorded reading the Rainbow Passage and producing the isolated vowels /a/ and /i/. Twenty undergraduate psychology students served as listeners. Results indicated that subjects perceived as female had a higher mean SFF and higher upper limit of SFF than subjects perceived as male. A significant correlation between upper limit of SFF and ratings of femininity was achieved.