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LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)

76. As well programmed to view the the American accent as servile as well.

Reply to pnwmom (Reply #64)

Mon Feb 12, 2018, 05:06 PM

Feb 2018

As well programmed to view the the American accent as servile as well.

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Why is Alexa female? [View all] pnwmom Feb 2018 OP

Females are supposed to serve you greymattermom Feb 2018 #1

Yup. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #2

or, perhaps they have all the answers??? spanone Feb 2018 #24

I thought it was because John Oliver refused to do it. :-D TheBlackAdder Feb 2018 #38

Perhaps because a certain percentage... 3catwoman3 Feb 2018 #3

Siri is gender neutral. NCTraveler Feb 2018 #14

I heard a radio interview of the woman who is the... 3catwoman3 Feb 2018 #21

That is neat. NCTraveler Feb 2018 #25

She's followed me on Twitter for a few years bathroommonkey76 Feb 2018 #50

you can change siri's gender! spanone Feb 2018 #26

I chose to make my Siri a male. Lilyhoney Feb 2018 #81

just guessing NewJeffCT Feb 2018 #4

Oh now you've done it. Why are librarians supposed to be female? Hassin Bin Sober Feb 2018 #113

they certainly don't have to be female NewJeffCT Feb 2018 #119

Can't call in HAL zipplewrath Feb 2018 #5

Please remind me to turn off the oven at 3:45 Leghorn21 Feb 2018 #10

You win! Ohiya Feb 2018 #34

I'd use HAL constantly if it was an option Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #23

We changed ours to "computer" Hassin Bin Sober Feb 2018 #114

I'm sure there are many reasons. NCTraveler Feb 2018 #6

Actually, it's AC/DC, so it could go either way. LastLiberal in PalmSprings Feb 2018 #7

When I was working for an airline I learned that airplane manufacturers The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #8

On the other hand, as people lose their hearing the higher pitches seem to go first. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #12

True, but those frequencies are higher than any female speaking voice. The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #55

Not true, alas. A couple of elderly relatives weren't able to hear my young daughter's tones. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #59

A young childs voice is going to be about an octave higher The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #71

And "Alex" could also be heard and understood by most people. Plenty of men pnwmom Feb 2018 #83

Since the voice is computer-generated, if there's a demand for a male voice The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #94

There's always an anecdote, isn't there. FYI, those people are called partially deaf. Or not pilots. Hassin Bin Sober Feb 2018 #118

Samsung's old voice assistant (S-Voice) is also female crazycatlady Feb 2018 #9

You can change Siri BannonsLiver Feb 2018 #13

Because women are never wrong? bluecollar2 Feb 2018 #11

Yes! Lol Dem_4_Life Feb 2018 #116

I recall reading many years ago that the female voice is easier to understand. Binkie The Clown Feb 2018 #15

Possible reasons given Atlantic Magazine article from a year or so back. LanternWaste Feb 2018 #16

And, for a long time, hurricanes. n/t Beartracks Feb 2018 #103

Siri can be set to male or female voices unc70 Feb 2018 #17

female voice cuts through ambient noise better than male voice eShirl Feb 2018 #18

So that she would have the patience Sailor65x1 Feb 2018 #19

That was one funny skit! oasis Feb 2018 #67

This skit always cracks me up!!! Dem_4_Life Feb 2018 #115

That was funny as hell. He and Alexa need their own show. politicaljunkie41910 Feb 2018 #122

ODESSA!!!! Sailor65x1 Feb 2018 #133

Why not female? PatentlyDemocratic Feb 2018 #20

Why not male or female? Why not gender neutral? It's a machine, not a person. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #22

What's a gender neutral voice? Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #27

Some of the voices on voice mail are gender neutral. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #32

So a robotic voice? Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #37

Why not? It's a robot. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #39

No, it's not a robot. It's a purchasing device. Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #44

Then why is the "personable" default not male? Can't males be helpful? pnwmom Feb 2018 #47

Because the default has long proven to be female in this regard Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #52

I agree -- it's been socially embedded. It's part of a pattern that we are all more programmed pnwmom Feb 2018 #64

As well programmed to view the the American accent as servile as well. LanternWaste Feb 2018 #76

There isn't one American accent -- and no, we're not programmed to view "the" pnwmom Feb 2018 #82

As an american, culturally there IS an artifact on accents. Servants, butlers, etc, are typically AtheistCrusader Feb 2018 #137

To people who watch PBS, maybe. nt pnwmom Feb 2018 #138

None of the examples I gave you are on PBS. AtheistCrusader Feb 2018 #139

Who is Jeeves? pnwmom Feb 2018 #140

I was referring to the Ask Jeeves service which was a natural language query assistant. AtheistCrusader Feb 2018 #141

Why does it have an American accent? leftstreet Feb 2018 #29

Why do women's bathrobes have narrow sleeves and men's have wide ones? applegrove Feb 2018 #28

Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? writerJT Feb 2018 #40

Ha! That is an oldie but a goodie. applegrove Feb 2018 #45

Why do we cook bacon and bake cookies? FSogol Feb 2018 #78

Is it wetter under water if you stand there in the rain? And is it closer tblue37 Feb 2018 #99

Ships are female Kaleva Feb 2018 #30

You mean that MEN have decided to call them female, for some inexplicable reason. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #33

Not inexplicable. LanternWaste Feb 2018 #41

The gadget is named Alexa, not Alex, hence its female gender. LonePirate Feb 2018 #31

Why didn't they name it Alex, which nowadays is both a male and female nickname? n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #35

after testing various names, the team landed on a word Alexa, that used soft vowels and an "x." LanternWaste Feb 2018 #48

"Alex" and "Alexa" both have a soft vowel (in the unaccented syllable) and an x. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #54

Read the article in full. More explanation. Somewhat more complex. LanternWaste Feb 2018 #61

Actually, you can change the wake up word to computer now Orangepeel Feb 2018 #73

I think this was in regards to the early prototypes and designing for that LanternWaste Feb 2018 #74

Being able to call it computer? Thats relatively new Orangepeel Feb 2018 #77

Ours is brand new and her name is computer. Hassin Bin Sober Feb 2018 #117

Finally someone isolates the critical issue of our time. writerJT Feb 2018 #36

Lol John Fante Feb 2018 #60

Don't laugh. It's the new campaign strategy leftstreet Feb 2018 #80

Have you ever heard of a guy named Alexa? underpants Feb 2018 #42

Oh. Is there some reason they had to give it a feminine name? Alex would have been more neutral. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #46

I don't think anyone has argued they "had to" give it that name. Only that they chose to. LanternWaste Feb 2018 #72

Idea here - ask Alexa underpants Feb 2018 #43

Because the computer on the Enterprise is female. Iggo Feb 2018 #49

And I believe in SF most male oriented voices for computers have turned evil Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #53

Oh damn! You're right. Iggo Feb 2018 #57

A lot of the reality is that most people don't view female voices as "threatening" when you get down Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #63

That makes sense. Iggo Feb 2018 #65

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry underpants Feb 2018 #68

Why is Alexa creepy? Tommy_Carcetti Feb 2018 #51

The voice I use for Siri is a male Australian. Greybnk48 Feb 2018 #56

I'd heard/read somewhere that synthesized voices with female characteristics... NurseJackie Feb 2018 #58

Probably so it won't sound like mansplaining... MineralMan Feb 2018 #62

Soft, clear female voices appear to be the go to option for narration or information. Blue_true Feb 2018 #66

Very true. Though I'd tale an Idris Elba version of Alexa anytime to provide information. Blue_Adept Feb 2018 #69

The article states that John Fante Feb 2018 #70

You can make Siri male treestar Feb 2018 #75

It's funny since science supposedly says that men don't really hear female voices. MrsCoffee Feb 2018 #79

They have a more pleasant voice. Can you imagine your GPS saying doc03 Feb 2018 #84

I thought it was good for single guys vercetti2021 Feb 2018 #85

I would like a deep sexy male voice for my personal assistant. crazylikafox Feb 2018 #91

I don't know vercetti2021 Feb 2018 #92

"We don't assign genders to objects in English" EX500rider Feb 2018 #86

FWIW cagefreesoylentgreen Feb 2018 #87

Mine is British missingthebigdog Feb 2018 #102

When you want obedient.... ehrnst Feb 2018 #88

Does this thought cross your mind when you speak John Fante Feb 2018 #98

No, it doesn't. I thought that the smilie indicated that I thought ehrnst Feb 2018 #109

My apologies, I thought you were serious. John Fante Feb 2018 #120

Star Trek has influenced so much of our tech in real life. Gidney N Cloyd Feb 2018 #89

Because men are sexist pig men! (Is that the answer you're fishing for? Do I get a cookie?) n/t X_Digger Feb 2018 #90

When I asked Siri if she was a man or a woman, she said "I am Siri". crazylikafox Feb 2018 #93

Well, I figured out how to change the voice gender, but there was no Barry White option. crazylikafox Feb 2018 #95

Alexa says I am female in character Orangepeel Feb 2018 #96

Besides, if they'd used a male voice there'd be 'mansplaining' complaints Bucky Feb 2018 #97

Both of my iPhones, home and work are set to British English GulfCoast66 Feb 2018 #100

Who knows Lotusflower70 Feb 2018 #101

Why not bring back this guy? FuzzyRabbit Feb 2018 #104

Siri is flexible. You can set it to male or female. Stinky The Clown Feb 2018 #105

Because women are smarter and more trustworthy nini Feb 2018 #106

Seeing a couple young children boss their Alexa around, pnwmom Feb 2018 #107

Sometimes a machine is just a machine. AtheistCrusader Feb 2018 #112

A machine is just an "it." It doesn't have a gender unless its marketers give it one. n/t pnwmom Feb 2018 #134

Consider that the Alexa/Hey Google/Siri/Cortana/ad nauseum devices aren't marketed at all. AtheistCrusader Feb 2018 #135

Put Antonio Banderas on one and I'll buy it! lindysalsagal Feb 2018 #108

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. trotsky Feb 2018 #110

Because male computers kill you, e.g. HAL Cuthbert Allgood Feb 2018 #111

You're not the 1st to ask this question melm00se Feb 2018 #121

And people say DU doesn't tackle the big issues of today. progressoid Feb 2018 #123

. Hassin Bin Sober Feb 2018 #125

+1 progressoid Feb 2018 #129

Amazon needs to borrow a page from TomTom Revanchist Feb 2018 #124

The first natural language personal assistant lapfog_1 Feb 2018 #126

She has a pleasant voice. There is no need for over-analization. nt Ferrets are Cool Feb 2018 #127

I renamed mine Giskard, in hopes that soon, it will know what I want telepathically. CrispyQ Feb 2018 #128

not R. Daneel? n/t melm00se Feb 2018 #130

I've loved Giskard since the early robot stories. CrispyQ Feb 2018 #132

Hell, everybody knows that "Amazons" are female. As good of logic as any. tonyt53 Feb 2018 #131

Mommy. Sister. Non-threatening. Supportive. Hekate Feb 2018 #136