The sociolinguistics of falsetto

Míša Hejná; Anna Jespersen

The sociolinguistics of falsetto

Míša Hejná
, Anna Jespersen

School of Communication and Culture - English

Research output: Contribution to book/anthology/report/proceeding › Article in proceedings › Research

Abstract

This paper focuses on falsetto - a
phonation profile and a voice register
which seems to have received little
attention in (socio)linguistics when
compared to other phonation types. We
first review the definitions of this profile
and the rather limited sociolinguistic
literature in terms of what social
functions tend to be associated with the
voice quality. We then present issues in
identifying falsetto in speech and
propose ways in which these could be
addressed. More specifically, the
research available points to falsetto
being rich in social functions when these
are explored, with an array of social
indexical values. Falsetto needs to be
studied in more communities, however,
so that we see to what extent there may
be commonalities across indexical fields
associated with this phonation.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings from FONETIK 2025 : Växjö, May 21-23, 2025
Editors	Ambrazaitis Gilbert, Raschellà Federica, Young Nathan
Place of publication	Växjö
Publisher	Linnaeus University Press
Publication date	2025
Pages	15-20
ISBN (Print)	9789180823111
ISBN (Electronic)	9789180823128
Publication status	Published - 2025

Keywords

falsetto
voice
voice quality
sociolinguistics
pitch
f0

Access to Document

https://lnu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A2002160&dswid=7809

Library access?

Check availability with the Royal Danish Library

CoVS: interdisciplinary Centre of Voice Studies
Hejná, M. (PI)
01/12/2022 → …
Project: Other

Cite this

@inproceedings{a228e8c177e74695af0b5ccd9e0303a0,

title = "The sociolinguistics of falsetto",

abstract = "This paper focuses on falsetto - a phonation profile and a voice register which seems to have received little attention in (socio)linguistics when compared to other phonation types. We first review the definitions of this profile and the rather limited sociolinguistic literature in terms of what social functions tend to be associated with the voice quality. We then present issues in identifying falsetto in speech and propose ways in which these could be addressed. More specifically, the research available points to falsetto being rich in social functions when these are explored, with an array of social indexical values. Falsetto needs to be studied in more communities, however, so that we see to what extent there may be commonalities across indexical fields associated with this phonation. ",

keywords = "falsetto, voice, voice quality, sociolinguistics, pitch, f0",

author = "M{\'i}{\v s}a Hejn{\'a} and Anna Jespersen",

year = "2025",

language = "English",

isbn = "9789180823111",

pages = "15--20",

editor = "Ambrazaitis Gilbert and Raschell{\`a} Federica and Young Nathan",

booktitle = "Proceedings from FONETIK 2025",

publisher = "Linnaeus University Press",

}

TY - GEN

T1 - The sociolinguistics of falsetto

AU - Hejná, Míša

AU - Jespersen, Anna

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - This paper focuses on falsetto - a phonation profile and a voice register which seems to have received little attention in (socio)linguistics when compared to other phonation types. We first review the definitions of this profile and the rather limited sociolinguistic literature in terms of what social functions tend to be associated with the voice quality. We then present issues in identifying falsetto in speech and propose ways in which these could be addressed. More specifically, the research available points to falsetto being rich in social functions when these are explored, with an array of social indexical values. Falsetto needs to be studied in more communities, however, so that we see to what extent there may be commonalities across indexical fields associated with this phonation.

AB - This paper focuses on falsetto - a phonation profile and a voice register which seems to have received little attention in (socio)linguistics when compared to other phonation types. We first review the definitions of this profile and the rather limited sociolinguistic literature in terms of what social functions tend to be associated with the voice quality. We then present issues in identifying falsetto in speech and propose ways in which these could be addressed. More specifically, the research available points to falsetto being rich in social functions when these are explored, with an array of social indexical values. Falsetto needs to be studied in more communities, however, so that we see to what extent there may be commonalities across indexical fields associated with this phonation.

KW - falsetto

KW - voice

KW - voice quality

KW - sociolinguistics

KW - pitch

KW - f0

M3 - Article in proceedings

SN - 9789180823111

SP - 15

EP - 20

BT - Proceedings from FONETIK 2025

A2 - Gilbert, Ambrazaitis

A2 - Federica, Raschellà

A2 - Nathan, Young

PB - Linnaeus University Press

CY - Växjö

ER -

The sociolinguistics of falsetto

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

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Projects

CoVS: interdisciplinary Centre of Voice Studies

Cite this