‘A lively, intelligent and persuasive history of speech...Expertly and patiently explained’ The Times
Why are human beings the only animals that can speak? And why does it matter?
If you’ve ever felt the shock of listening to a recording of your own voice, you realise how important your voice is to your personal identity. We judge others – and whether we trust them – not just by their words but by the way they talk: their intonation, their pitch, their accent.
Now You’re Talking explores the full range of our voice – how we speak and how we sing; how our vocal anatomy works; what happens when things go wrong; and how technology enables us to imitate and manipulate the human voice.
Trevor Cox talks to vocal coaches who help people to develop their new voice after a gender transition; to record producers whose use of technology has transformed the singing voice; and to computer scientists who replicate the human voice in their development of artificial intelligence.
Beginning with the Neanderthals, Now You’re Talking takes us all the way to the digital age – with the frightening prospect that we may soon hear ‘Unexpected item in the bagging area’ more frequently than a friendly ‘Hello, how are you?’ in the street.
Imprint: Vintage Digital
Published: 03/05/2018
ISBN: 9781473547223
Length: 320 Pages
RRP: £10.99
Full of well-I-never insights... A lively, intelligent and persuasive history of speech...Expertly and patiently explained
Fascinating... Illuminating… The book draws on the latest scientific research and is studded with arresting statistics... [Cox] wears his learning lightly... A rewarding read... Cox knows how to make his subject sing. And the narrative is enlivened by colourful anecdotes.
[T]his is a continually interesting and instructive account of our conversational abilities, and a much needed exposé of our remarkable incapacity to infer anything from each other’s talk.
[A] fascinating examination of how the nature of voices invoke prejudice and preconceptions
A brain-pleasing and entertaining read. Cox’s passion for his subject comes through on every page. An entertaining read for anybody.