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She really sounds like a Spaniard

7/9/2013

4 Comments

 
It's 2003, and I'm working for a university study abroad program in Madrid. I'm talking to Paco, our art history professor. He looks at one of our students, a Bulgarian woman. "She really sounds like a Spaniard," Paco comments. 

"I know! Her Spanish is excellent," I agree.

"Yes, she has a great command of the language," Paco said. "But it's her voice that's really authentic. She has a deep, raspy voice. That's what Spanish women her age sound like."

I filed this away in my mental "cross-cultural reflections" folder...

*****

Years later, I worked in corporate training and focused on women's professional development programs. Of all the topics I designed trainings for, communication was by far the most popular. (I'd average 30% higher attendance for any topic related to "how to sound like a leader" as compared to other topics like "mentoring" or "networking.") Clearly, communications skill building was in demand. 

What do you talk about in a training session on effective communication at work? 

When you focus on women in the workplace, it's a complex and nuanced topic (that's much more broad than this blog post), but the notion of pitch/tone is essential. In the U.S., in a professional setting, women are taken more seriously when they speak from the belly, vs. the throat. High-pitched voices are either filtered out, dismissed, or lose credibility. They may read "too emotional."

As I hear the occasional international news interview with women from around the world, I think about how, culture by culture, women are socialized to speak with a certain pitch. High-pitched voices may be considered sweet and feminine in some cultures, whereas raspy, deep voices may be feminine in others. We are socialized to learn what's right. Perhaps by our mothers and sisters. Perhaps at a training session at work. 

In a news interview, what's the impact of a soundbite of a woman who sounds shrill? 

How does this shape the viewer's opinion of the woman's point of view? To what extent does it detract from her credibility? 

How does the sound of the women's comment impact our opinion on the particular issue the news story is covering? (Or...extrapolating a little...on how we view politics? On how we vote?) 
4 Comments
Anna Trester
7/16/2013 06:39:16 am

When I listen to NPR, what I have not been able to un-hear predominatnly these days is creak, creaky voice, especially from young women. I think by and large this aspect of voice is still not salient to most people, but it certainly is prevalent!

Thoughts?

Reply
Sonia Checchia
7/18/2013 11:54:42 pm

Thanks, Anna! It'll be interesting to see how this patterns in 10 years. For now, when I hear it, it makes me feel old (because it's women younger than me who sound that way!).

Reply
Tahhan al-Mulazim
7/23/2013 01:14:57 am

It's funny, aside from the raspy voice as authentically Spanish, I wonder how accents(?) play into the formula of authenticity. I cannot help but be reminded of the Nasonex TV ad with the Latino-sounding bee character. Nothing is more exhilarating - I suppose - than hearing that sexy masculine "con-ges-ti-yon" (for conjection).

While at it, I also wonder what about other accents such as heavy Arab pronunciation English where the P is B (which is also overcompensated to have the B become a P). I am a recent immigrant to the US of Arab origin. I am amazed by -- but mostly saddened at the realization of -- how an Arab person's accent affects my own perception of her/him (which I am sure I am not the only guilty one): how do heavy accents distract from the content of speech? How do accents shift the focus from the person to an Other (Arab, Asian, Latin American...) thus undermining their ideas and opinions and work on reinforcing stereotypes?

Reply
Sonia Checchia
7/23/2013 01:29:44 am

Thanks, Tahhan, for sharing your comments! You are reminding me of a related issue. On TV, you sometimes see subtitles (in English) where someone is speaking English with an accent. The intention is to ensure clarity, but it sends a message that the speaker's English may be hard to understand...and that the audience may not be accustomed to listening to accented English.

Reply



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