English Intonation Wells Audio

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Sanna Pospicil

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Aug 3, 2024, 4:49:23 PM8/3/24

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Tuning vocals is an art form that often entails a lot more than just inserting a pitch correction plug-in on a vocal track and hitting play. Depending on the intonation of the singer, the tuning process can be painstaking and require many parameter adjustments along the way.

Setting the correct key is vital, as it lets Auto-Tune know the correct pitches to move the notes to. If you have the wrong key or scale set, the plug-in may pull the notes to the wrong destinations.

Auto-Tune also offers Graph Mode, which entails a very different workflow. It provides a graphical representation of the audio and lets you draw in pitch changes, thus giving you more control over individual notes than you get in Automatic Mode. (This works similarly, although not identically to Celemony Melodyne, another of the top pitch correction plug-ins).

Language is dynamic and terminology evolves. Use of terminology on this page reflects best practices and global research that spans several decades. International use of terminology may not be consistent with use in the United States. Prior research and journal articles may use titles and language that are no longer used. Eliminating this formative research would erase years of content intended to guide best practices. However, clinicians ask their client what terminology they use. Terminology on this page is monitored on an ongoing basis. If you note terminology that you feel should be updated, please contact ASHA.

People may seek gender affirmation services to make their voice and/or other aspects of their communication congruent with their gender and/or gender expression. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide expertise in modifying the voice and other aspects of communication. The SLP assesses a variety of aspects of verbal and nonverbal communication, such as vocal pitch, intonation, voice quality, resonance, fluency, articulation, pragmatics, and nonverbal vocalizations (such as laughing and coughing). An SLP can provide gender affirming voice in various care settings. Health policy, coverage, and reimbursement may use terminology (e.g., transgender and gender diverse, gender dysphoria) that does not always match how the client self-identifies. Some clients may use different terms such as transgender and gender-nonconforming. Be sure to ask how your client identifies and which terms they use. At this time, a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria may be required to ensure coverage of insurance services, but not all people seeking gender affirming voice services have gender dysphoria.

As indicated in Principle II, Rule A of the ASHA Code of Ethics (ASHA, 2023), SLPs who serve this population should be specifically educated and appropriately trained to do so. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) has developed standards of care for health care professionals working with people who are transgender and gender-nonconforming, including resources on providing voice and communication services. This guidance may help determine prerequisite skills and clinical considerations. In addition, WPATH outlines additional services and treatments by health care professionals, which may provide a baseline of information for practitioners (Coleman et al., 2022).

Sensitivity to clients starts at the initial point of contact and continues throughout all interactions. Office support staff and clinicians participate in cultural responsiveness training to increase awareness for working with transgender and gender-nonconforming populations. Cultural responsiveness and accountability are critical to building relationships, maintaining privacy, and creating safe spaces for clients/patients/students.

Nearly one third of respondents of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey reported that none of their health care providers knew that they were transgender (James et al., 2016). People may not be comfortable with asking clinicians detailed questions about gender affirming voice. Having openly available and accessible materials about gender affirming voice in the clinical space and on the website may provide the opportunity for individuals to review materials to determine if they wish to pursue services.

Before verifying benefits or submitting claims to insurance, clinicians ask the client for the identifying information that should be used in communications with their insurance. If a client uses the name assigned at birth with their insurance company, then clinicians may avoid confusion by using initials and eliminating the use of pronouns when writing reports for submission. In documentation and billing, clinicians verify the inclusion or omission of gender, names and pronouns, and which institutions will have access to these documents.

Some people who seek and receive medical services have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022) or the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification. It is not in the scope of practice for an SLP to diagnose a client with gender dysphoria. In order to receive the diagnosis of gender dysphoria, one must meet a list of criteria indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (APA, 2022). Coverage varies by payer and plan for services related to gender affirmation. A medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria is often necessary to receive insurance coverage for gender affirming care services but does not guarantee it. However, not all transgender and gender-nonconforming people experience dysphoria or distress from incongruence (APA, 2022).

According to the eighth version of the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (Coleman et al., 2022), an SLP with expertise to provide services to transgender and gender-nonconforming people may work on the following areas:

A common misperception is that androgen cross-sex hormones often result in the lowering of pitch, which eliminates the need for voice treatment (Azul et al., 2018; Nygren et al., 2016). However, the extent, rate, and experience of using hormone therapy alone are quite variable and not always satisfactory (Irwig et al., 2017; Ziegler et al., 2017). Hormone therapy increases testosterone levels, adding mass to the vocal folds and, typically, lowering the pitch in varying degrees. Hormone treatment does not result in changes to other aspects of voice (e.g., intonation, volume, and nonverbal communication) that may influence how gender is perceived by others. For example, some transmasculine speakers receiving hormone therapy might feel uncomfortable with using a lower pitch, so they use a higher habitual speaking pitch than their new lower pitch range physiologically allows (Papp, 2011).

Group intervention provides an opportunity for clients to practice carryover in a supportive social situation. Clinicians facilitate the group norms and overall goals, whereas each participant can work toward their own personal goals. Groups provide a safe opportunity to receive feedback and celebrate success toward goals (Kayajian et al., 2019). This may be particularly important for people who do not have the opportunity to practice their skills outside of the clinic environment. People may enjoy reaching their specific voice and communication goals with peer support, which encourages consistency, confidence, and self-esteem (Merrick et al., 2022; Pickering & Kayajian, 2014).

All communities are diverse, including gender diverse communities. Each client may require different individualized approaches because their journeys are all unique (Adler, 2017). Transgender and gender diverse clients come to clinicians with different needs, expectations, and experiences, including the experiences of intersecting identities (Hancock & Downs, 2021). Clinicians may benefit from gaining additional knowledge and skills in counseling that are specific to transgender populations.

Principle of Ethics I: Individuals shall honor their responsibility to hold paramount the welfare of persons they serve professionally or who are participants in research and scholarly activities.

Pickering, J. E., & Kayajian, D. (2014, February). Group voice and communication intervention: The first five years [Paper presentation]. 2014 World Professional Association for Transgender Health Biennial Symposium, Bangkok, Thailand.

Quinn, S., Oates, J., & Dacakis, G. (2022). The effectiveness of gender affirming voice training for transfeminine clients: A comparison of traditional versus intensive delivery schedules. Journal of Voice. Advance online publication.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 234,000 members, certificate holders, and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology assistants; and students.

Share his outrage. Then ask your daughter to listen with you, to help her understand the nature and strength of your reactions. As you listen, though, consider this: do Mali's phrase-final rises really indicate "psychological insecurity requesting some sort of approval or affirmation from the listener"?

In her 1991 dissertation, Cynthia McLemore suggested that final rises iconically signal some kind of connection. This might be a connection between ideas, as in non-terminal list items; or it might be a connection between speaker and hearer, as in a question and the answer or a statement and the listeners' attention. But she pointed out that this kind of reaching out to listeners need not be a sign of insecurity or even politeness. And in her data, taken from a careful study of the role of intonation in a University of Texas sorority, final rises were associated with statements by more senior and more powerful members that required audience attention and action.