Only 4 Syllables Needed to Recognize Voice
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Only 4 Syllables Needed to Recognize Voice

Friends and family need to speak only two words before being recognized

30
Only 4 Syllables Needed to Recognize Voice
gigaom.com

It only takes four syllables to identify the voice of a close friend or relative, according to a new study preformed by scientists. At least the excuse for not hearing your mom still holds up.

The study used forty-four Canadian-French speakers between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five and the close friends and family of those being tested. Each listening participant heard the recorded voice of their friend mixed in with similar voices—a sort of ‘voice line up’. The voices sounded similar based on pitch, accent, and other similar speech qualities. The speakers would say simple words and phrases, between one and eighteen syllables each. While there little to no ability to distinguish voices with short, one-syllable words, the rate of success sky rocketed at four. The phrase in this case that got the listeners to recognize the voice, in this case, was ‘Merci beaucoup,’ (Thank you very much) though any four-syllable word or phrase should do the trick.

The study’s data was extremely impressive: when the voice of a friend or family member was put into a mix of similarly sounding voices and said made than four syllables worth of speech, participants could distinguish their friend’s voice with a 99.9% accuracy. This rate of accuracy even beats out computers, including those built for vocal recognition: these have about a 92% when identifying voices.

Though the data is impressive, it is not necessarily shocking to audio scientists. From a young age, babies are able to distinguish the voice of their mothers from the voices of others, and this, then, carries over into childhood and adolescence. And now is proven to continue into late adulthood as well.

There are, of course, some exceptions: past studies have found that those with autism were less likely to successfully identify a familiar voice, and several other studies found that those with dyslexia found it harder to recognize voices in their own language than those without dyslexia.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

An Open Letter To My Grandpa In Heaven

If Heaven wasn't so far away, I'd be there every day.

15383
Nikki Wright

Dear Grandpa,

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

That Feeling of Opening Day

What it means and What Happened

1314
That Feeling of Opening Day

Baseball's Opening Day has inspired countless writers, fans, and players throughout the years. Some notable quotes we remember about this special day are:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

To The 'Best Friend' I Decided I Couldn't Be Friends With Anymore

Most of all, thank you for being the person who finally pushed me to choose myself.

97662
The CW / YouTube

Dear Old Friend,

Keep Reading... Show less
Lifestyle

7 Tips For Traveling

Don't miss any of these ideas to make your trip complete!

3318
7 Tips For Traveling

Whether it's a day trip, an out-of-state journey, or an experience leaving the country, here are some tried and true traveling tips.

Before any trip, we all think about what to pack and what to bring. We may have a strict itinerary, or we may have looser guidelines for what to do when. But we should also consider the following - make them goals:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

As an aspiring author, Hunter knew writing for Odyssey would be a great fit for her.

2887
Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

Response writers are what make the world go round at Odyssey! Using our response button feature, they carry on our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments