Talia Kowalchuk Student, Faculty of Health Most science and art goes back to the human experience, goes back to observations of ourselves. I think it’s very universal. What I really liked about studying English is understanding people’s identities and learning how language really creates your identity. You are created by language. And I think a lot of that resonates with speech pathology because in my research right now, your identity is tied to your voice. You could hear me on the phone and have a picture of me in your mind of who I am, irrespective of the words that I used or what I look like. I’m doing a project that focuses on transgender voice, specifically on the feminization of voice. It’s actually a lot harder to have your voice become feminine than to have your voice become masculine because of the way hormones work. So, my research focuses on Reddit, and how people in the trans community teach each other how to feminize their voice through support and advice I’m really interested in how people talk about their voice, how they problem solve. From my English background, I ask things like 'what metaphors do they use to talk about voice?' I can tell you that your larynx needs to be elevated and you need to constrict your muscles, but that’s not probably the best way for me to explain that to you. If you listen to someone who’s a singer, they might use colour, or they might use adjectives like dark and light to describe voice. Maybe that’s a better way to explain to you that you need to use a lighter voice, instead of me saying: 'you need to raise it three notes.' I wouldn’t necessarily use anatomical language. How do I say, tense up, swallow and raise your larynx and hold that while you’re talking, and it will be lighter? Voice feminization is really hard, and it takes practice. That’s another reason to have a community because people can celebrate their victories. They show their milestones and get affirmation. You can’t always hear your own voice, so it’s nice when other people can tell you how far you’ve come. There are different ways to find community. In Manitoba, I have a big cultural community. In Winnipeg, everyone you meet is within three degrees of separation. But in the Ukrainian community, it’s one degree of separation. I meet you. I know you. I probably know your grandmother. Or if not, I’ve heard of you. But you’re born into this community, and these people will be there for you no matter what. You meet people and you already have that cultural understanding or something in common from the get-go. You understand each other. If I go to a friend’s house, I know I can’t say no to food. And their mom will probably make you a three-course dinner just because you’re there. They’ll get out a jar of pickles or say, 'I just made this bread.' And you cannot say no because it’s incredibly rude. But it’s like, I know where you come from. I understand. I think we, as humans, are very obsessed with ourselves. I think most science and art goes back to the human experience, goes back to observations of ourselves. I think it’s very universal. ← Aziz ↑ Home Tim →
