Joseph R. Anticaglia MD
Medical Advisory Board
In a few seconds, with remarkable confidence, one can tell the sex of a person speaking on the telephone or radio. We can recognize almost immediately the voice of our favorite artist who is singing our favorite song. And in the middle of the night, a mother can tell which child is crying. What’s going on?
Your voice is unique. It’s an audio fingerprint that separates you from other people. Besides giving you a distinctive persona, your voice projects “complex thoughts and subtle emotions.” (1) It’s your logo that offers clues to your mood, social status and background. It also suggests the condition of your health, your educational achievements, and how you might deal with problems.
Years ago I was playing softball with a friend of mine, a salesman, who behaved as if he had won the lottery.
“You sound great, Peter. What’s the good news?”
“I can’t believe it. I’ve been working on this deal day and night for seven weeks. Yesterday, I made a sale that netted me a six figure commission.”
But good news is not always in your voice. Your voice can go from euphoria to sadness in a snap of the fingers and how it sounds is a clue to how you feel. What makes the voice so special?
Just as no two fingerprints are exactly alike, computer science seems to validate what we already know — no two voices are exactly alike. The uniqueness of the voice is due to a combination of factors; some are listed below;
- Anatomical makeup of the vocal tract,
- Configuration of the larynx
- Influences of the environment,
- Voice habits
The lungs pump air superiorly causing the vocal folds of the larynx to vibrate producing sounds which continue upward in the vocal tract. The vocal tract above the vocal folds consists of the back of the throat, back of the nose, tongue, soft palate and lips which shape sounds into distinctive speech or song. The size and shape of the vocal tract is different from individual to individual contributing to one’s characteristic voice.
The vocal folds of young children and women are shorter, thinner and vibrate more frequently resulting in higher pitched voices. Men have longer and thicker vocal folds and their voices are deeper. The size and shape of the vocal folds can change as men and women become much older.
The region of a country where you grew up, your family upbringing, your educational background and your command of the native language often is on display in an ordinary conversation
We all have the habit of speaking with a certain rhythm at a certain pace with our own brand of enthusiasm and pronunciation. These nuances, as well as the factors noted above, make your voice identifiable as one of a kind.
Just as a cardiogram is a picture of the energy of your heart, a voiceprint (spectrograph) is a picture of the energy of your voice. .Lawyers have successfully introduced voiceprints as evidence in a variety of criminal cases such as political corruption, tax evasion, murder and terrorist activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reviewed 2,000 of its own cases and reported an error rate of less than one half or one percent for false voiceprint identifications.
Physicians who specialize in Laryngology and the Professional voice have used acoustic representations of the voice, voiceprints, to diagnose and assist in the management of singers and other professionals who complain of subtle differences in the quality of their voice. They have designated certain areas of their office as a clinical voice laboratory and employed personnel with special training for such evaluation.
Granted — we may not sound like or want to sound like Marilyn Monroe or James Earl Jones or sing as well as Adele. But one thing is for certain. . When our daughter telephones us, we immediately recognize her voice and at times might ask, “You don’t sound right. Is something wrong?” And we ask this question without the assistance of computer science.
The bottom line is that we all have million dollar voices and all too often take this treasured instrument, worth more than a Stradivarius, for granted. We should respect this instrument for what it’s worth — a priceless jewel of nature.
References:
- (1) Sataloff, Robert T.; Professional Voice; Singular Publishing Group, Inc., San Diego, London.
- Onofre, F., et al; Measurement of the Acoustic Speaking Voice; J. Voice 2016 Jan 14 [E pub. Ahead if print]
- Decker John, Handler, Joel. Voiceprint Identification Evidence
- Cain, Steve, et al; Voiceprint Identification; Expert Pages
This article is intended solely as a learning experience. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options.