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LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)

61. Read the article in full. More explanation. Somewhat more complex.

Mon Feb 12, 2018, 04:55 PM

Feb 2018

Read the article in full. More explanation. Somewhat more complex.

But this could be hint: " a word that people didn't ordinarily use in everyday life...."

Although I'm beginning to think you're fishing for a particular answer, as many have been provided to you, yet dismissed with no reason.

If that's the case, why not give us the answer you desire, and we'll respond with that one...?

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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