<![CDATA[Jezebel: voices]]> http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png <![CDATA[Jezebel: voices]]> http://jezebel.com/tag/voices http://jezebel.com/tag/voices <![CDATA[Babies Cry In Mothers' Accents]]> German researchers studied 60 French and German newborns and found that the babies cried with different accents. They believe babies pick up the inflection of their mother's voice in the womb and imitate it in an attempt to bond. [BBC]

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<![CDATA[Do Our Voices Always Reveal Our Gender?]]> If "sex" is anatomical, and "gender" is a construct, then it can be assumed that our vocal range would establish sex, while the way that we speak establishes gender. Or does it?

The clip above was made by a teenage boy, who frequently gets mistaken for a girl. He took to the streets of Santa Cruz, CA to ask random strangers if they think he's a boy or a girl. The results were mixed, but amazingly (and hilariously), everyone had an opinion, and was more than willing to share it. I think the confusion may revolve around his androgynous haircut, young age (which includes lack of facial hair, somewhat high-pitched voice, etc.), and the fact that a lot of street wear is unisex.

Interestingly, today on Rachael Ray, there was a segment about women who were unhappy with their voices. The woman in the clip below is Karen, and she says that when she talks, people think she's a man. However, if you close your eyes and listen to her, I think that a more accurate description would be that she sounds a bit like a flamboyant gay man, and that has a lot more to do with the cadence, not tone, of her voice. And I don't think it sounds particularly "unfeminine".

Karen works in the fashion industry, and in the clip she says, "People call and expect to get…" I swear she was going to finish with "a gay man." But she instead she said, "a sweet, sexy voice." And I found that odd, because having once worked in the fashion industry, I pretty much always expected to get a gay guy on the line.


"Am I a boy or a girl?" [FourFour]

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<![CDATA[RIP]]> Legendary soprano Yma Sumac, the "Peruvian songbird," has died at an assisted living facility in Los Angeles. She was 86. Born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri del Castillo, the singer rose to fame in 1950s Hollywood because of her amazing vocals and unique style. She chose the name Yma Sumac, which means "how pretty" in Inca's Quechua language. Sumac had a five-octave range and was known for her flawless, precise, never-out-of tune singing style. Her voice was sometimes a growl, sometimes a fluttering, piercing flute. She is the only Peruvian whose name is written in Hollywood's Walk of Fame. (Click pic at left for some embedded video, to hear her voice.) [AP]


"Bo Mambo." One of her most famous recordings, and a personal fave.

"Gopher Mambo"

Calls of the Andes

"Tumpa"

"Pachamama"

Here's video of Brigitte Bardot dancing, but they used a great Yma Sumac track.

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<![CDATA[Speak To Me]]> A 60-year-old British woman known only as KH is the first known case of a person born with phonagnosia, or the inability to identify and recognize voices. Phonanosia was previously only known to occur in those who had suffered strokes or brain damage. The only speaking voice that KH can recognize? The deep Scottish accent of Sean Connery. [Telegraph]

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