I think the way we talk is simply a function of our personality. We don't necessarily try to sound a certain way, we try to be a certain way and the sound follows

Same goes for any stereotypical way of speaking, like hillbilly, sorority girl, urban, nerd, oaf, sports announcer, athlete, rapper, goth, meterosexual, politician, weatherman, new yorker...

they all think they are speaking normally while the rest of us laugh at them, and in turn are laughed at by others

People always thought I was or implied it after awhile of talking to me, so I used to seriously believe this was a fact, though now I know it's a stereotype. My sexuality is fluid, not fixed.

Cerebus has always talked in the third.

He's also a hermaphrodite.

MidniteMagnet said:

The gay accent is one of life's mysteries. Why do so many gay men across the country have the same sibilant accent? Is there a correlation between anal sex and overpronouncing your S sounds?

Obviously some straight people have this accent too. But how is it so widespread among gay men? I don't have the accent and neither does my bf, but some of my friends do. They say they've always spoken that way even before they knew they knew they were gay.

Does our sexual preference change the physiology of our larynx??

My guess would be that it's neither a simple product of the genes nor something voluntarily chosen, but that it's habituated. In that sense, it's like every other accent or way of speaking, or the way you carry yourself, etc. People pick it up from the social group they're in, or from the other figures that they identify with in the culture (e.g on TV, in movies, etc), as part of the process of constructing and reconstructing their identity; which is always a social process that happens in relation to other people, and which always manifests somehow in the body (the way you stand, the way you walk, your gestures, even what you eat, and what shape you try to give your own body, etc). It's an essential part of life that we're all doing, all the time.

(Not trying to turn GD into a sociology class or be a smartarse or anything, but I just find this stuff interesting.)

johnart said:

BlackAdder7 said:

Blackadder thinks it could be a new facebook status...single...married...divorced...fucked by Johnart......

FB has 600 million accounts....

- not 600 million ppl, but still...

PositivityNYC said:

johnart said:

FB has 600 million accounts....

- not 600 million ppl, but still...

Well, when there is a will there is a way.

kewlschool said:

PositivityNYC said:

FB has 600 million accounts....

- not 600 million ppl, but still...

Well, when there is a will there is a way.

<--go getter!

JerseyKRS said:

Cerebus has always talked in the third.

He's also a hermaphrodite.

I've often wondered about the accent thing. I've been gay all my life but I've never spoken with a lisp. Never had any gay friends so I never knew if the lisp was something that was natural or learned.

kitbradley said:

I've often wondered about the accent thing. I've been gay all my life but I've never spoken with a lisp. Never had any gay friends so I never knew if the lisp was something that was natural or learned.

It's weird, ain't it?

JerseyKRS said:

Cerebus has always talked in the third.

He's also a hermaphrodite.

Once Cerebus got over the initial shock of receiving that information Cerebus realized.... it does have its perks.

Timmy84 said:

I'm seriously starting to doubt that the accent is actually authentic. I've heard straight men talk in the same way gay men "allegedly do". It's all a part of the stereotyping of sexualities. Like if you're "x", you gotta talk and walk like "x". I guess it's a societal issue.

[Edited 4/6/11 11:36am]

I've been saying this for years and none of my gay friends take me seriously. I believe it is 100% social conditioning. Just like I believe it is social conditioning to have a "gangsta" accent or speak in Ebonics.

It runs along the same lines as the myth of reappropriating slurs. It is false empowerment.

Welcome to L.A.

dJJ said:

Welcome to L.A.

Oh my gawd! This song is like, so white!