The Human Voice: The Story of a Remarkable Talent

by Anne Karpf

Why has the female voice deepened over the last fifty years? Who talks more, men or women? How can a baby in the womb distinguish between different voices?The human voice is the personal and social glue that binds us, and the most important sound in our lives. The moment we open our mouth we leak information about our biological, psychological and social status. Babies use it to establish emotional ties and acquire language, adults to decode mood and meaning in intimate and professional relationships. Far from being rendered redundant by modern technology, the human voice has enormous and enduring significance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Language, History, Linguistics, Music

526 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ruth Bonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much fascinating research and information in this book that I dipped into it over a long period of time, feeling guilty as I had borrowed it from a friend. I finished and returned it after reminding myself to buy it for slower absorption.

[Natbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful book on our voice, our ability to speak and understand each other, almost meditative in its scope- ranging over specialities, mashing rigorous research with anectodal evidence to form a picture that speaks out.

The 288 pages of text are followed with nearly 80 pages of notes and 16 pages of select bibiliography. It is clear from every sentence that Anne Karpf has fished far and wide, and has not come empty-handed. It is a delight for those who want to have perspective on what communication means to us, especially the vocal.

After reading this book, I pay more attention to the tone and the tenor of voices, an evidence of this book's success.

To review this book and do it justice, I think I will have to work over eight hours, supposing that I am capable of doing that.

Anyway, this is one book I want at my table, to take it back and read again.

I recommend this book to everyone with time on their hands, and some patience and then love for the splendour of our capabilities and an appreciation for the oddity of human existence.

[Jimmy Ele · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the only books available on the subject of the Human Voice. I loved it for the amount of research that went into it and the previously unknown knowledge of something as intimate as our voices. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the impact, influence, creation, and development of our voices. A star was subtracted due to the book seeming rushed at times.

[sleeps9hours · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to learn so much about something I take for granted. I read it all, but if I were to recommend it I would say probably skip the first section (neurobiological and developmental stuff) unless you are specifically interested in that. I wish it had been shorter and better organized. She pretty much threw everything she could think of in there. Liked learning how accurate our intuition is when hearing a voice.

Notes
p. 202 ‘To make yourself clear without gesture, without facial expression, without a real hearer, you have to foresee circumspectly all possible meanings a statement may have for a possible reader in any possible situation.’ No wonder, this author added with feeling, writing is so agonizing: we have to do it without the colours of spoken intonation.

Movie: Garbo’s first talkie, Anna Christie (1930), Robert Altman’s Nashville with overlapping dialogue.

Further reading: Marshall McLuhan

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty interesting look at how the human voice is essential to "being human" and "being who we are - ourselves". Karpf looks at the anthropological science, the neurological science and many other aspects of the human voice. She seems to have a bit of a feminist agenda in some places but those moments do not detract from the books substance which is to say that without the human voice we would be a different species.

It's well written and very informative when Karpf looks at the real science as opposed to the speculative science. I recommend it.

[Rachel Blom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that informs the reader about all there is to know about the human voice. There are tons of facts and tidbits in here, one more fascinating than the other, but all in all solid info. What's lacking a bit is a premise, an opinion, a direction that guides you through the book. Even though the info is structured well and logically into chapters, the whole book feels more like a massive info dump, than a convincing presentation of anything. Still, I learned tons!

[Karen Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a phonetician, I found things in this book I didn't feel were completely accurate, or that I didn't quite agree with, and the style tends toward journalese. But voice and speech are my life work, so I couldn't help but enjoy the book overall, and I picked up interesting bits here and there. Good leisure reading if you're anywhere near as into the study of human speech as I am.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, this was like an endless listing of mildly interesting factoids about the human voice. Unfortunately, it lacked analysis or depth so I can't remember a single thing I read.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's lots of research in this book -- many pointers to studies about aspects of the human voice. I felt like it was shining a flashlight on the proverbial elephant -- I got to see a bit of the trunk, a bit of the foot, a bit of the ear. What I didn't get was an overall sense of how the voice serves its humans -- either in evolutionary terms or now. I wanted much more than a review of interesting bits of research; I wanted a sense of the whole. Maybe that is too much to ask, because there's still so much research to be done?

[Clivemichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive, well researched, copious notes and references but tedious. She certainly knows her subject.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense but useful for anyone seeking a popular science overview of the voice. Developments in technology over the last ten years might call for a new edition.

[Cliff Poche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never knew so many amazing things about the human voice before.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers all the aspects of the voice beginning with its physical origins and the linguistic development of children to how we use the voice in the modern era and its social implications. I especially enjoyed the chapters on voice and gender and other social characteristics. Took me awhile to get past the basics, which aren't presented as hard science, to get to the more interesting sections on social science but it is definitely worth reading if you're curious about examining the non-linguistic properties of the human voice.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly comprehensive look at the sociological implications of how and why we speak. Written with a British/UK slant, and a touch dry at times - I didn't take a lot of notes, but still worthwhile.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to know that our voices betray more than we are aware of.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reader-friendly presentation of the fascinating power and distinctive qualities of the human voice.

Collection of facts, research, and everyday life examples.

[M.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former professional singer, I am really enjoying this scientific assessment of the voice, particulary how women's voices were and are still discriminated against.

[Mandy Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring

[Khoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and insightful. I love this. Recommended for anyone reading about NLP

[Tarika]

I took forever to read this. It wasn't what I thought it was, but it was a well-written and thorough work about the human voice. It's not my kind of read but I didn't want to abandon it just because it wasn't to my taste. It was a perfectly fine book. I just wasn't interested in what the book was imforming on. Others might.