Phonation type as a stylistic variable: The use of falsetto in constructing a persona¹

TLDR

Sociolinguistics has focused on segmental and intonational variation, but voice‑quality variation remains understudied. This study investigates falsetto phonation as a stylistic device. The authors analyze discourse contexts to show that falsetto functions as an expressive stylistic resource for constructing social meaning. In Heath’s speech, falsetto occurs more often, lasts longer, and has higher and broader f0 ranges at a barbecue, and this expressive use builds a “diva” persona and may signal gay identity.

Abstract

Although the field of sociolinguistics has witnessed a growing interest in the sociophonetic aspects of segmental and intonational variation, few studies have examined variation in voice quality. This paper addresses the gap by investigating the stylistic use of falsetto phonation. Focusing on the speech of Heath, a speaker exhibiting considerable cross‐situational variation, I show that when attending a barbecue with friends, Heath's falsetto is more frequent, longer, and characterized by higher fundamental frequency (f0) levels and wider f0 ranges. Advancing recent approaches to variation which treat linguistic features as stylistic resources for constructing social meaning, I draw on an analysis of the discourse contexts in which falsetto appears to illustrate that the feature carries expressive connotations. This meaning is employed to construct a ‘diva’ persona and may also participate in building a gay identity.