Voice quality in contemporary Scotland: perception, gender, & identity

该项目将采取方法论方法相结合的方法，将声学语音测量与实验语音感知和社会语言学相结合。硕士之年将专注于发音感知，研究发声如何与说话人性别的其他线索(基频、元音共振峰)相互作用，影响听者对说话人特征的判断。在这项知觉研究中，苏格兰听众将被呈现给最初由同一个说话者说出的刺激，但通过数字操作获得发音的声学测量和说话者性别的提示，然后要求他们根据利克特量表的反应来评估说话者的特征。博士研究将包括两个主要部分。第一项研究将调查从以英语为母语的苏格兰人收集的语音数据中的语音质量，其中36人来自爱丁堡及周边地区，36人来自格拉斯哥及周边地区，按社会阶层、年龄和性别分层。这将通过关联的知觉和声学研究进行调查。第二项研究将研究数量较少的LGBT+说话者，重点是来自爱丁堡、格拉斯哥及周边地区的变性人。参与者将被记录下来与一系列不同身份和与说话者有不同关系的对话者交谈-每个LGBT+说话者将至少与一个具有相似身份的LGBT+朋友、一个不同身份的LGBT+朋友、一个非LGBT+朋友和一个非LGBT+陌生人交谈。在之前知觉和产出研究的基础上，这些数据将被进行声学研究，以检验LGBT+说话者如何使用语音来表达、构建和呈现性别和性别身份。鉴于嗓音质量在社会语言学中是一个研究较少的领域(例如Thomas 2011，Podesva&Callier 2015)，这项研究将通过调查声学测量、知觉和身份之间的关系来促进更广泛的学科。它也有学术以外的具体应用；我希望与言语和语言治疗师联系，调查这项研究如何适用于声音障碍的诊断和治疗，以及声音和交流疗法的女性化和男性化。该大学建议其博士研究人员每年进行两周的技能发展培训(或对兼职学生进行同等的培训)。这项技能发展培训可包括参加由研究生院、大学研究人员发展单位、学习与教学中心、学院或学科领域或外部组织举办的讲习班。如果学生有特定的技能需求，或者如果他们有合作培训计划的想法，就有机会申请资助。技能发展还包括一系列非正式活动，包括参加来访的演讲者研讨会；撰写和发表会议论文；参加会议；进行研究生教学助理(GTA)培训；帮助组织研讨会或会议；与e-Sharp合作等。

This project will take a combination of methodological approaches, integrating acoustic phonetic measurement with experimental speech perception and sociolinguistics. The Master's year will focus on perceptions of phonation, investigating how phonation interacts with other cues to speaker gender (fundamental frequency, vowel formants), to affect listener judgments of speaker characteristics. In this perception study, Scottish listeners will be presented with stimuli originally spoken by the same speaker, but with acoustic measures of phonation and cues to speaker gender digitally manipulated, then be asked to evaluate characteristics of the speaker on Likert scale responses.The PhD study will contain two main parts. The first will investigate voice quality production in speech data collected from a sample of native Scottish English speakers, with 36 from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas and 36 from Glasgow and the surrounding areas, stratified by social class, age and gender. This will be investigated by a linked perception and acoustic study. The second will study a smaller number of LGBT+ speakers, with a focus on transgender speakers, from Edinburgh, Glasgow and the surrounding areas. Participants will be recorded speaking to a series of interlocutors of different identities and different relationships to the speaker - each LGBT+ speaker will speak to at least one other person with one LGBT+ friend of a similar identity, one LGBT+ friend of a different identity, one non-LGBT+ friend and one non-LGBT+ stranger. Building on the previous perception and production studies, this data will then be investigated acoustically, to examine how LGBT+ speakers use phonation to express, construct and present gender and sexual identities.Given that voice quality is an under-researched field within sociolinguistics (e.g. Thomas 2011, Podesva & Callier 2015), this study will contribute to the broader discipline by investigating the relationship between acoustic measurements, perception and identity. It also has specific applications beyond academic; I hope to make links with speech and language therapists to investigate how this research is applicable in the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders as well as in feminizing and masculinizing voice and communication therapy.The University advises its doctoral researchers to undertake 2 weeks of skills development training per year (or equivalent for part-time students). This skills development training may include attendance at workshops offered by the Graduate School, or by the University's Researcher Development unit, the Learning and Teaching Centre, by the School or subject area, or external organisations. There are opportunities to apply for funding should students have specific skills needs or if they have an idea for a collaborative training initiative. Skills Development also encompasses a whole range of non-formalised activities, including attending visiting speaker seminars; writing and presenting a conference paper; attending a conference; undertaking Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) training; helping organise a symposium or a conference; working with e-Sharp, etc.