[Jocasta]

Why do black people have generally deeper voices than white people?

User Detail :  

Name : Jocasta, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 16, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Rick29885]

Do you mean black people like Michael Jackson, Teddy Pendergrast, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Frankie Lymon?

User Detail :  

Name : Rick29885, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Atheist, City : Springfield, State : OH, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sheri27973]

Jocasta…the only reason I am responding to this post is because of your age. Originally I thought it was just a joke but you probably are really sincere. Anyway…I am a black person and I have not noticed that black people have deeper voices. I’ve noticed some black men have very deep voices but I’ve also noticed that with white men also. Whether or not one has a deep voice is genetic and I haven’t noticed that one race has deeper voices than another.

User Detail :  

Name : Sheri27973, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Jewish, Age : 35, City : Redwood City, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kelly R.]

I’m not sure. It is probably just one of those physiological differences that occur between cultures. That’s like asking why do White people generally have straighter hair than Black people. Just a physiological difference.

User Detail :  

Name : Kelly R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : St. Louis, State : MO, Country : United States, Occupation : university instructor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[S.]

I don’t have a deep voice and get made fun of because of it. Many people (black and white) start imitating me with a Mickey Mouse voice, which I know is not my voice. I never thought about deep voices being primarily African American, probably because a lot of people in my family don’t have deep voices. I guess we must be freaks.

User Detail :  

Name : S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 23, City : Birmingham, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Graduate Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Tubbs]

I read the forum every few months and I usually leave it alone after reading it because I always see the same questions (‘why can’t white people say nigger’) over and over, but this is a good/unique question! I have no idea why Black people oftentimes have deeper voices; even as children this appears to be the case. Maybe higher voices are more acceptable to mainstream (white) society because that tone is less threatening, so people use the tone of voice they feel comfortable with to identify with their group. My father is from the West Indies and I’ve noticed that when he speaks with people he is not familiar with he uses a much higher tone of voice. I imagine that it is more cultural than biological.

User Detail :  

Name : Tubbs, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 28, City : Silver Spring, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : between jobs, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Erin]

I think it is just one of the things that make us different. Its not common to see tall Asians. And if you look closely, white people’s eye lids go all the way back when their eyes are open. Black people’s eye lids dont go nearly as far back. Just watch tv one day and take notice. Its true! Fascinating but true! Native americans generally have higher or more noticeable cheek bones than alot of other races. They’re just differences. And I think they are wonderful.

User Detail :  

Name : Erin, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 20, City : Fort Lauderdale, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Middle class, 

[DJ]

My guess is that it is a matter of diction habits. I have noticed that in general, white people tend to speak more through their noses than black people, who more often tend to speak from the diaphragm.

User Detail :  

Name : DJ, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 30, City : Charlotte, State : NC, Country : United States, 

[J]

My cousin is like that. But she is mixed with black and white. She has the cutest little voice, and I think it is different and thats what makes her so cool to me…she unique and so are you! =)

User Detail :  

Name : J, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 15, City : Richton Park, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : school, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, 

[Jonath]

Voices are not completely based on genetics. Sometimes the cultural climate of a region or of an ethnic group will cause the people belonging to that group to speak either in high-pitched voices or low-pitched voices. Sometimes languages themselves can affect pitch. I have noticed that most Chinese people who speak Cantonese tend of have higher-pitched voices, no matter what region of China they were originally from. Also, I speak both Mandarin and English, and I notice that my voice tends to be deeper when I speak Mandarin. I guess my point is that you can not simply attribute deep or high-pitched voices to different ethnic groups, and especially not to huge, heterogeneous groups like races. It is a lot more complex than that.

User Detail :  

Name : Jonath, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Age : 19, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Author]

Posts