The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
failedarchitecture.com
The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
1–10 of 25 posts
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#2I think the article totally miss the point of why we use female (high pitch) voice instead of male (low pitch) voice.
In a public environment, the majority of the lower spectrum of sound is flooded with the surrounding noise what means that if a low pitch noise is used it will barely be understable. High pitch voices are well better in theses cases because it uses the less busy part of the sound spectrum resulting in clearer sound. There is nothing to do with gender and patriarchy.
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#3The point of this article seems to hinge on gender roles, specifically a submissive and polite attitude (assumed if I'm not mistaken because it sounds feminine). Regardless of whether or not that makes sense, an announcer such as the ones described always tells us things unilaterally and without recourse: The train is late, we're all requested to go left, your plane is delayed, your plane must now be boarded, etc.
It's not submissive at all: It's there to inform you of reality and you're expected to comply. There's an implicit threat to it, where if you do not listen or don't comply life will be difficult for you.
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#4I think the article totally miss the point of why we use female (high pitch) voice instead of male (low pitch) voice. In a public environment, the majority of the lower spectrum of sound is flooded with the surrounding noise what means that if a low pitch noise is used it will barely be understable. High pitch voices are well better in theses cases because it uses the less busy part of the sound spectrum resulting in…
The question is then why hi-pitched male voice could not have been used?
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#5The famous "mind the gap" is from a man. British Siri was always a male voice. The automatic-semi-recored voice in German trains is male.
This 10 year old CNN article is way more informing:
https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/tech/innovation/female-co...
For example female voices for early radar systems were chosen, because their voices stand out from the male fighter pilots. Sexist? Maybe, but also a smart and pragmatic decision. San Francisco apparently uses high-pitched voices as they are easier to hear over clattering train cars.
> "It's much easier to find a female voice that everyone likes than a male voice that everyone likes," said Stanford University Professor Clifford Nass,
> When it comes to consumer applications of computerized voices, the sex of the voice is usually determined by what service or product is employing it. For example, transit systems such as the San Francisco Area's BART often use higher-pitched voices because they are easier to hear over the clatter of the train cars.
> Bajarin, the Silicon Valley analyst, believes that more computerized voices would be masculine if not for the associations with HAL, whose malicious intent in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film was made even creepier by his soothing tone. "A lot of tech companies stayed away from the male voice because of HAL," he said. "I've heard that theory tossed around multiple times." (One prominent exception: The chipper "You've got mail!" voice from AOL's dial-up days.)
> Siri speaks like a man in the UK, where iPhone 4S owners have swarmed online forums to request a female voice instead. "Eww!! Hope UK gets female voice soon," wrote one commenter.
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#6I found it a bit odd that the article seemingly does not ask designers of voice systems why the voice is typically female-sounding. I have to imagine they’ve tested it both ways, so what’s their explanation for why they consistently make the choice they do?
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#7I think the article totally miss the point of why we use female (high pitch) voice instead of male (low pitch) voice. In a public environment, the majority of the lower spectrum of sound is flooded with the surrounding noise what means that if a low pitch noise is used it will barely be understable. High pitch voices are well better in theses cases because it uses the less busy part of the sound spectrum resulting in…
The question is then why hi-pitched male voice could not have been used?
Because natural male voice is generally lower than female voice. Also there is research on gender neutral voice (like this https://www.genderlessvoice.com/) but as you can hear, the voice is everything but natural and easy to understand
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#8The famous "mind the gap" is from a man. British Siri was always a male voice. The automatic-semi-recored voice in German trains is male. This 10 year old CNN article is way more informing: https://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/tech/innovation/female-co... For example female voices for early radar systems were chosen, because their voices stand out from the male fighter pilots. Sexist? Maybe, but also a smart and pragma…
> British Siri was always a male voice
The same male voice (same voice actor) who did the summary of contestant performances between rounds of The Weakest Link.
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#9The point of this article seems to hinge on gender roles, specifically a submissive and polite attitude (assumed if I'm not mistaken because it sounds feminine). Regardless of whether or not that makes sense, an announcer such as the ones described always tells us things unilaterally and without recourse: The train is late, we're all requested to go left, your plane is delayed, your plane must now be boarded, etc. It…
SHODAN from System Shock comes to mind.
Re: The use of disembodied female-sounding voices in service industries
#10After having learned of Critical Theory these disingenuous cynical pieces are easier to spot.
She repeatedly calls female voices "disembodied" as if male ones aren't or the solution is to have the speakers encased in female puppets.