Gender Effects on Voice Cessation Time in Intervocalic Lax (voiced) Obstruents

This study examines whether gender influences voice cessation time (voicing duration) of lax (voiced) obsruents. Failed more frequently show a posterior glottal opening throughout a vibratory cycle and have larger open quotients and less vocal fold contact than mailed. The general differences imply that females can yield less voicing in their speech. In line with this, we hypothesized that the male voice is more voiced than the female voice in intervocalic lax (voice) obstruents. This hypotheses was supported by the results of the present experiment, i.e., males exhibited significantly longer voicing an higher percentage of voicing relative to consonant duration than females during the intervocalic lax obstruents /p, t, k, c/ of Korean. Based on the results an the literature review, it is further hypothesized that the vocal folds are more likely adduced for males while abducted for females. The experimental data also indicated that males speak faster than females.