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Gay or Straight? How Vowels Can Out You

People can determine sexual orientation by listening, says study

By Tim Karan, Newser Staff

Posted May 25, 2011 3:53 PM CDT | Updated May 29, 2011 9:22 AM CDT

(Newser) – If high-tech gaydar equipment existed, you probably wouldn't need it. People can pick up on male sexual orientation based solely on how men pronounce the letters a, e, i, o, and u, reports US News. Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study to see whether strangers could tell if males were gay or straight just by hearing them pronounce single-syllable words such as "food" and "sell." Participants got it right 75% of the time once they heard a vowel.

OSU asked seven homosexual and seven heterosexual males to speak for the experiment, and although respondents couldn't guess sexuality from the first consonant in words, vowels were a dead giveaway. "This is a phenomenon that occurs every day," says the study lead. "We are constantly speaking with people we don't know on our phones, and just from this conversation, we might be able to identify personal characteristics about that person, such as their gender, age, race, or sexual orientation."

A recent study says sexuality can be determined just by hearing how vowels are pronounced. (Shutterstock)

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Showing 3 of 21 comments

hnmk48

May 29, 2011 8:32 PM CDT

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n230099

May 29, 2011 6:08 PM CDT

What if they're speaking Spanish?

JohnQT

May 26, 2011 5:58 AM CDT

Lame. I respect psychology about as much as I respect dousing and in both cases they are just guessing and using conformation bias. How do they know gays talk that way because they think they are supposed to talk that way and not because of some gene or whatever that says thats gays say vowels differently.

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Gay or Straight? How Vowels Can Out You

People can determine sexual orientation by listening, says study

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

homosexuality • Ohio State University • speech • homosexual • heterosexual • gay

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More Newser Stories

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Group wants students expelled by 'secret court' in 1920 recognized

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Ark. School Board Member Wishes All Gays Would Die

Clint McCance's Facebook post gets him unwanted national attention

Wal-Mart Sells Anti-Gay Kids' Book

Its big lesson: Homosexuality is a sin that can be overcome

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