laurenpedersen's review against another edition
5.0
First book I will recommend this year: “This Is The Voice” by John Colapinto, narrated by Robert Petkoff. Hearing this book was fantastic because of the accents used and vocal inflections described throughout. Topics include: vocal development, prosity, vocal fry, anthropology, medical issues of the vocal chords, accent prejudice, RP and GA, the use of voice in politics and many other topics. I didn’t completely agree with every topic presented but it was very insightful and thought-provoking; incredibly well written and superbly narrated.
junyifong's review against another edition
4.25
Excellent
"And my voice, with its nicks and scars and telltale rasp, tells its own history of my life, just like yours does." (268)
"But in these closing remarks, I find myself reflecting on the fact that the most effective and expressive voices-those that connect with listeners in ways that change behaviour or habits or ideas-are those that form the most direct channel between the speaker's interior life and the sounds that emerge from the mouth." (268)
"And my voice, with its nicks and scars and telltale rasp, tells its own history of my life, just like yours does." (268)
"But in these closing remarks, I find myself reflecting on the fact that the most effective and expressive voices-those that connect with listeners in ways that change behaviour or habits or ideas-are those that form the most direct channel between the speaker's interior life and the sounds that emerge from the mouth." (268)
bookanonjeff's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal Discussion, Perhaps Marred by Blatant Political Preferences In The Closing Chapters. This was a truly phenomenal discussion of all things related to the human voice: its physiology, evolutionary development, and impact on all areas of human life. However, the ultimate "taste" of the book will likely be more based on whether the reader agrees with the author's fawning over former US President Barack Obama and blatant disregard of current US President Donald Trump. Even in these sections of the book, however, where Colapinto is discussing the actual voices of the two men and how they are created and perceived, the book continues its phenomenal look at an oft-overlooked topic. The "YMMV" bit is more concerned with where the author steps away from a strict analysis of the voice and instead veers into editorializing over which man is preferred and why. Still, ultimately a well written and researched book, and very much recommended.
boxofdelights's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this account of John Colapinto's learning and thinking about the fascinating subject of the human voice. But science journalism is hard, and Colapinto is not a science journalist, so I did quibble with those areas where I had some previous knowledge.
Colapinto says that Chomsky is wrong that children learn to speak without being taught; he says that we do teach children to speak, by speaking to them in Motherese, and that "these prosodic exaggerations are adopted by parents in all cultures and languages and that every adult uses them when talking to babies (whether they are aware of it or not)." (p. 36) But the Tsimané, in Bolivia, do not use Motherese, and do not talk to small children much at all, and their children learn to speak by listening to fluent speakers talking to each other.
Especially when you're talking about sex, it's way too easy to oversimplify things you read and stitch them together to make a good story. Like, "With their evolved attraction to voices that are low (but not too low), women have dialed-up the average pitch of the male voice from that of our primate ancestors, even at the cost of a slightly weaker immune system in their offspring." (147) Earlier, Colapinto said that testosterone makes your immune system stronger. Here, he's talking about a study that says women prefer low male voices during the more-fertile part of their menstrual cycle, but not the rest of the time. Papers about female sexual preferences are way out on the hinky end of the reproducibility crisis to begin with, and once you mush that into "voices that are low (but not too low)", you're really not talking about science any more.
Colapinto says that Chomsky is wrong that children learn to speak without being taught; he says that we do teach children to speak, by speaking to them in Motherese, and that "these prosodic exaggerations are adopted by parents in all cultures and languages and that every adult uses them when talking to babies (whether they are aware of it or not)." (p. 36) But the Tsimané, in Bolivia, do not use Motherese, and do not talk to small children much at all, and their children learn to speak by listening to fluent speakers talking to each other.
Especially when you're talking about sex, it's way too easy to oversimplify things you read and stitch them together to make a good story. Like, "With their evolved attraction to voices that are low (but not too low), women have dialed-up the average pitch of the male voice from that of our primate ancestors, even at the cost of a slightly weaker immune system in their offspring." (147) Earlier, Colapinto said that testosterone makes your immune system stronger. Here, he's talking about a study that says women prefer low male voices during the more-fertile part of their menstrual cycle, but not the rest of the time. Papers about female sexual preferences are way out on the hinky end of the reproducibility crisis to begin with, and once you mush that into "voices that are low (but not too low)", you're really not talking about science any more.
maryreadstoomuch's review against another edition
5.0
We use our voices each day, but how often do you stop to think about yours? Maybe when you lose your voice from a cold, or when you hear an audio recording of yourself and think - do I actually sound like that?! For author John Colapinto, his voice odyssey started in a rock band. He loved singing, giving 100% even in rehearsal, until he noticed he couldn't. He even developed postural changes in his neck to try to compensate before being diagnosed with a polyp on his vocal cords. After realizing that he (his true character) was no longer being transmitted by his voice, he embarked on a journey to learn more about the voice, its origins, and why it's so important.
The personal hook really grabbed me, and I so enjoyed embarking on this study of the voice with Colapinto. Humans are the only animals with a descended larynx, and this anatomical change makes us capable of clear and precise speech, with the consequence of making us more likely to choke to death on our food. In fact, our affinity for spoken language may explain why so many of us love audiobooks and podcasts, and why oral traditions predated the development of writing systems.
Colapinto explores language acquisition in children and the role of the voice in communication with them - it turns out that our lapsing into the sweet tones of baby talk, which Colapinto labels Motherese, is not without a purpose. I also loved the exploration of accents and how we make judgments based on others' speech patterns - whether they represent UK received pronunciation, a Boston accent, or Eliza Doolittle cockney. He also explores the magic of singing and dramatic speech, how voice can convey emotion and persuade almost independently of the words spoken.
5 stars to a creative and entertaining exploration of the voice, a topic I didn't know much about. I highly recommend to another looking for a good popular science read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 4/18/21
Review to be posted to Instagram 4/25/21
The personal hook really grabbed me, and I so enjoyed embarking on this study of the voice with Colapinto. Humans are the only animals with a descended larynx, and this anatomical change makes us capable of clear and precise speech, with the consequence of making us more likely to choke to death on our food. In fact, our affinity for spoken language may explain why so many of us love audiobooks and podcasts, and why oral traditions predated the development of writing systems.
Colapinto explores language acquisition in children and the role of the voice in communication with them - it turns out that our lapsing into the sweet tones of baby talk, which Colapinto labels Motherese, is not without a purpose. I also loved the exploration of accents and how we make judgments based on others' speech patterns - whether they represent UK received pronunciation, a Boston accent, or Eliza Doolittle cockney. He also explores the magic of singing and dramatic speech, how voice can convey emotion and persuade almost independently of the words spoken.
5 stars to a creative and entertaining exploration of the voice, a topic I didn't know much about. I highly recommend to another looking for a good popular science read.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 4/18/21
Review to be posted to Instagram 4/25/21
fi_chince's review against another edition
Reads like a series of “did you know” factoids. Interesting but I don’t feel it has enough depth.
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