# effeminate speech: does it exist in other languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391 "2013-03-08T15:56:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/1 "2013-03-08T15:56:04Z")
There is a stereotypically effeminate manner of speaking the English language that many people associate with homosexual men. For prime examples, see Harvey Fierstein, or Fred Schneider (of the B-52’s). Do these sorts of mannerisms also occur among native speakers of other languages? German, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Swahili, whatever? ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/2 "2013-03-08T17:32:18Z")
Japanese, at least, has specific vocabulary for women, specific forms of verbs and pronouns, though I know this only from research, not observations. Many Indo-European languages have masculine and feminine forms for adjectives and nouns, but I assume that’s not quite what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/3 "2013-03-08T17:53:16Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > Japanese, at least, has specific vocabulary for women, specific forms of verbs and pronouns, though I know this only from research, not observations. > > Many Indo-European languages have masculine and feminine forms for adjectives and nouns, but I assume that’s not quite what you mean. Yeah not what I meant. I’m thinking of more of intonation rather than word choice. [Here’s Fred Schneider.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Ded0xmoFM&feature=player_detailpage#t=53s) A better alternative to Harvey Fierstein would be the ficticious character Jack Tors featured on the Jerky Boys series of albums. [Here’s a sample.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Fp3WSDn2M) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/4 "2013-03-08T18:16:24Z")
Japanese definitely has [masculine and feminine forms of speech](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_differences_in_spoken_Japanese), and this is not limited to word choice but includes tone as well. The traditionally ladylike manner of speaking is high pitched and seems really “cutesy” to Westerners. When I was in Japan I didn’t encounter this in normal conversation, but some women who work in customer service do talk that way. I didn’t know any out gay men in Japan, in part because there aren’t many out gay men in Japan, so I couldn’t tell you how they speak. I did go to a cabaret in Tokyo where they did a bit with a drag queen who was talking like a very feminine TV presenter but would occasionally switch to a much deeper, masculine way of speaking for comedic effect. I was told that it’s fairly common on Japanese TV to have “man on the street” spots where they find foreigners and ask them to speak Japanese, and that since a lot of Western guys are picking up Japanese from Japanese girlfriends this sometimes results in the guy speaking Japanese in what’s considered an amusingly feminine manner. I think that is more word choice than tone, though. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/5 "2013-03-08T18:22:54Z")
I remember my mother telling an Italian joke about a gay poodle that relied on stereotypically effeminate barking/speech mannerisms for the punchline. (I can’t remember the actual joke - I think it was pretty terrible and I’ve blanked it out.) ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effeminate-speech-does-it-exist-in-other-languages/652391/6 "2013-03-08T19:12:41Z")
“Real” Spanish? [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1isS8irYrew)