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Voice

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia - Cite This Source

voice, sound produced by living beings. The source of the sound in human speaking and singing is the vibration of the vocal cords, which are inside the larynx, and the production of the sounds is called phonation. The vocal cords are set into vibration by air from the lungs that moves through the windpipe passing over them, and they in turn produce resonance in the column of air enclosed by the pharynx. The mouth and throat are variable in size and shape, thus permitting alteration of vowel sound and pitch. At puberty the vocal cords of the male become approximately double their original length, with the result that the average adult male voice is about an octave lower in pitch than the female.

The Voice in Music

Not only is the voice the principal means of human communication, but it was undoubtedly the first musical instrument. The principal difference between singing and speaking is that in singing the vowel sounds are sustained and given definite pitch. Despite the innate and natural quality of singing, the training of the singing voice for artistic purposes is among the most subtle and difficult branches of music pedagogy. The instrument is within the performer, and the condition of the vocal apparatus, and thus the quality of the voice, is strictly dependent on the physical and mental condition of the singer. Since the vocal impulse cannot actually be described, the teacher's task is to provide the pupil with concepts, usually systematized into a vocal "method," that will free the vocal apparatus from restrictive tensions and lead ultimately to the complete coordination of all the faculties involved. The foundation of the scientific study of the voice was laid in the middle of the 19th cent. by Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García, a successful voice teacher and writer, who invented the laryngoscope (used to examine the interior of the larynx).

Because of the great changes that have taken place in the art of singing within Western musical culture, modern singers can only approximate the vocal timbre of previous eras. Gregorian chant may have been sung with a nasal timbre resembling Oriental technique. The Neapolitan operatic school developed the virtuoso art of bel canto, in which brilliance of vocal technique was stressed rather than romantic expression or dramatic interpretation. The sound of the castrato (see eunuch), for which many 17th- and 18th-century soprano and alto roles were intended, is approached by several contemporary countertenors using falsetto techniques. The electronic microphone has, in recent times, had an enormous impact on the voice and on styles of singing, through its ability to project very quiet, intimate sounds, and to magnify exciting sounds to a feverish intensity.

Singing voices are classified according to range as soprano and contralto, the high and low female voices, with mezzo-soprano as an intermediate classification; and as tenor and bass, the high and low male voices, with baritone as an intermediate classification. Within these ranges there are specific designations of the quality of a voice, e.g., coloratura soprano. Choral music generally requires a range of about an octave and a half for each voice; a solo singer must have at least two octaves, and some have been known to possess ranges of three, even three and a half, octaves. See also song.

Bibliography

See D. Stevens, ed., A History of Song (1960); R. Luchsinger and G. E. Arnold, Voice, Speech, Language (1965); R. Rushmore, The Singing Voice (1971); S. Butenschon and H. Borchgrevink, Voice and Song (1982).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

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Voice

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia - Cite This Source

voice, grammatical category according to which an action is referred to as done by the subject (active, e.g., men shoot bears) or to the subject (passive, e.g., bears are shot by men). In Latin, voice is a category of inflection like mood or tense. In ancient Greek, verbs were conjugated in three voices: active, passive, and middle (reflexive).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

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Voice Messaging

The Gale Encyclopedia of Busine$$ and Finance - Cite This Source

Voice messaging is a computerized method of storing and manipulating spoken recorded messages that is accessible to users from any touch-tone phone twenty-four hours a day. A voice-messaging system can be easily accessed by local, remote, or mobile users via land-line or cellular phones. Messages may be created in a user's voice mailbox and then transported to another voice mailbox in a manner similar to the e-mail process.

Voice-messaging systems include such services as voice messages, voice-mail distribution lists, fax-in and fax-on demand in the mailbox, interactive voice response, and voice forms that any user can access anywhere in the world.

HOW VOICE MESSAGING WORKS

Person A calls Person B, who is not available to take the call. Person B's voice mailbox or answering machine takes the call, replaying it when Person B returns and accesses it. The answering machine can be precise to Person B or can be shared with multiple office personnel. If the company has either a precise or shared system, Person B may retrieve the message by using a digitized code assigned to him or her. This code is called a voice-mail number. The voice mail system is designed to transfer a person's call to another telephone automatically by using call forwarding and to prioritize messages so that a specific phone number from Person A—the recipient—is prepared to communicate to Person B—the caller— for feedback.

HOW VOICE MESSAGING RELATES TO THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Voice messaging relates to the communication process by increasing productivity, improving internal communication, enhancing customer service, and reducing message-taking costs. The proper implementation of a voice-messaging system could be linked directly to improved public relations in companies.

In companies where a voice system is in place, users can easily change their greeting and the information in it and invite callers to leave their name, number, and any desired information. Voice-messaging systems in some companies permit users to call from any telephone in the world to change their greeting and to retrieve messages at any time of the day or night. Using a voice-message system ensures accurate messages, reduces the need for receptionists to take messages, and frees users from time zone dependence.

Many different types of companies—ranging from investment services to manufacturers, could possibly attain significant benefits in a short period of time, by using a voice-message system for internal communication between remote sites by means of such of integrated features as fax/voice mailboxes and pager notifications. It appears that the more voice messaging a company uses, the more benefits and revenue savings could be realized.

When using a voice-messaging system, users should especially careful to make their communication clear, concise, complete, and unambiguous. A voice-messaging system can create a "first and lasting" impression for users. Therefore, the following do's and don'ts may should be observed.

THE DO'S

  • Communicate with departments to obtain support.
  • Consider training classes for company users so they can effectively handle incoming calls to the voice-messaging system.
  • Communicate with customer service representatives about proper handling of calls.
  • Test and navigate through the various options in the system to improve or streamline the messages.

THE DON'TS …

  • Be careful not to overlook company customers. Be sure to know how they want their calls handled.
  • In communicating, avoid being insular. Consider what your company's competition is doing and how you can apply their success to your company.
  • Don't revise the system unnecessarily. Inquire about added features/applications only if you have maximized the use of those in existence.

VOICE-MESSAGING PRIVACY

As voice messaging become more prevalent, the issue of privacy becomes critical. Companies need to be as protective of their voice-mail system as they are of their computer system. Potential abuses of voice-messaging systems include fraudulent long-distance charges, malicious system intrusion, and corporate espionage. Many such abuses can be prevented by establishing certain policies and procedures that can enhance security, such as making it easy for users to change their passwords, establishing a system of automatic random password creation for new mailboxes, and having a flexible password structure. Nine to eighteen digit passwords are advised.

Two components prevalent to voice messaging are a user's outgoing personal greeting recorded in his/her own words and their message left for a receiver's response.

TIPS ON OUTGOING PERSONAL MESSAGES

  • When recording a greeting, speak in a slow, clear, and concise fashion.
  • Once a greeting has been recorded, call yourself to see how you sound and to determine whether you should re-record the message.
  • Keep the recording to eight to twelve seconds.
  • With your best voice, speak in a friendly tone of voice.
  • If you will be unavailable for an extended period of time, change your message to let your callers know the time of your return and the name and phone number of someone who can help them until then.

TIPS ON LEAVING A MESSAGE

  • Be sure to have a message in mind when you place a call in case you have to leave a message.
  • Get to the point: Explain who you are and why you have called. Avoid rambling and repeating yourself.
  • If you want to speak with someone about a specific topic that could be long and detailed. leave a "subject-matter-only" message; for example, "Allen, I need to speak to you about the XYZ Project at your convenience." Do not leave a long, drawn-out message.
  • Do not leave bad-news messages of a personal nature on the voice-mail system. Such messages are inappropriate.
  • Be careful of what you say and how you say it, lest you regret the message later. Because most voice-mail systems allow messages to be forwarded to others, you never know who might hear your message. Many voice-messaging systems do not allow you to eliminate a message once it's sent.
  • While it may not be necessary to give the date and time of your message, it is wise to leave a date and time when you will be available if you want a callback.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

With the increasing prevalence of voice messaging, both its advantages and disadvantages have begun to surface.

ADVANTAGES

  • It provides twenty-four-hour-a-day answering capability.
  • It enhances efficiency and boosts job productivity.
  • It saves and generates money for the company.
  • It improves the accuracy of message content.
  • It enables one to send multiple messages to people.
  • It allows messages to be easily updated.
  • It reduces the need for administrative/receptionist/secretarial support.
  • It serves as an important medium for business communication.
  • It makes transferring of phone calls from department to department easier and more efficient.

DISADVANTAGES

  • Many people are resistant to technological advancement.
  • It can be difficult if users are not trained to use voice-messaging systems.
  • A voice-messaging system can be less economical for smaller companies.
  • People can "hide behind their mailbox" and not return calls.
  • Many people dislike not being able to reach a live person.
  • Concern for sender of message "confusing message" and "lack of instructions."
  • Too many voice-messaging options may make it difficult for people to recall which options they used previously.

WHEN TO USE VOICE MESSAGING

Voice messaging has become a viable alternative to e-mail and fax systems as a business communicating tool, each of these three methods having specific advantages in different situations. (1) If users need to ensure privacy, deliver information quickly, get a quick response, add a personal touch, or send messages quickly, voice messaging is more desirable than e-mail or fax. (2) If users need to send information to many persons, outside the company, e-mail is most desirable. (3) If users want to edit or attach comments, forward messages to others, send information to many persons outside the company, keep or providing a hard copy, and provide a quick review of information, a combination of voice mail and e-mail is most desirable. (4) If users want to keep or provide hard copies of documents and distribute complex, lengthy information, the fax system is most desirable. (5) If users want to ensure privacy, edit or attach documents, and distribute complex or lengthy information, a combination of voice and fax systems is desirable.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, Ronald A., Fox, Ivan, Twomey, David P. (1995). Business Law & the Regulatory Environment: Principles & Cases. Ohio: Cincinnati South-Western Educational Publishing Company.

Bandla, Rick. (1998). "Voice LogiX, Inc. for Telecommunications & Voice Messaging." http://voicelogix.ca/.

Galle, William P., Nelson, Beverly H., Luse, Donna W., and Villere, Maurice. (1996). Business Communication: A Technology-Based Approach. Richard D. Irwin. Publishing Toronto, ON.

Norman, Donald A. (1998). "Why Voice Messaging Can't Cut It." Across the Board 35(5,17):1.

Okolica, Carol, and Stewart, Concetta M. (1996). "Factors Influencing the Use of Voice Messaging Techno1ogy: Voice Mail Implementation in a Corporate Setting." Central Business Review 15(1): 55-59.

"Other Messaging Resources." (1998). http://www.vmec.com/pg6.html.

Rood, Clint. (1998). "Advice on Good Voice Messaging." http://voicemessaging.com/advice.htm.

"Six Smart Reasons to Consider Voice Messaging." (1998). http://www.tcentral.com/messaging.html.

Treece, Malra, and Kleen, Betty A. (1998). Successful Communication for Business and Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

CHRISTINE M.IRVINE

The Gale Encyclopedia of Busine$$ and Finance
Copyright © 1999 by The Gale Group.
Published by The Gale Group. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Human voice

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

The human voice consists of sound made by a human using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. The vocal folds, in combination with the lips, the tongue, the lower jaw, and the palate, are capable of producing highly intricate arrays of sound.

The tone of voice may be modulated to suggest emotions such as anger, surprise, or happiness.

Singers use the human voice as an instrument for creating music.

Voice types and the cords themselves

Men and women have different vocal cord sizes; adult male voices are usually lower-pitched and have larger cords. The male vocal cords (which would be measured vertically in the opposite diagram), are between 17 mm and 25 mm in length.

Matching the female body, which on the whole has less muscle than the male, females have smaller cords. The female vocal cords are between 12.5 mm and 17.5 mm in length.

As seen in the illustration, the cords are located just above the trachea (the windpipe which travels from the lungs). Food and drink does not pass through the cords but is instead taken through the esophagus, an unlinked tube. Both tubes are separated by the epiglottis, a "flap" that covers the opening of the trachea while swallowing. When food goes down through the cords and trachea (usually happens when the person inhales while swallowing) it causes aspiration (choking).

Cords in both sexes are ligaments within the larynx. They are attached at the back (side nearest the spinal cord) to the arytenoid cartilages, and at the front (side under the chin) to the thyroid cartilage. Their outer edges, as shown in the illustration, are attached to muscle in the larynx while their inner edges or "margins" are free (the hole). They are constructed from epithelium, but they have a few muscle fibers on them, namely the vocalis muscle which tightens the front part of the ligament near to the thyroid cartilage. They are flat triangular bands and are pearly white in colour—whiter in females than they are in males. Above both sides of the vocal cord (the hole and the ligament itself) is the vestibular fold or false vocal cord, which has a small sac between its two folds (not illustrated).

The difference in vocal cord size between men and women means that they have differently pitched voices. Additionally, genetics also causes variances amongst the same sex, with men and women's singing voices being categorized into types. For example, among men, there are basses, baritones and tenors, and contraltos, mezzo-sopranos and sopranos among women. There are additional categories for operatic voices, see voice type.

Physiology and Vocal Timbre

The sound of each individual's voice is entirely unique not only because of the actual shape and size of an individual's vocal cords but also due to the size and shape of the rest of that person's body. Humans have vocal folds which can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced. Sound also resonates within different parts of the body, and an individual's size and bone structure can affect the sound produced by an individual. Singers can also learn to project sound in certain ways so that it resonates better within their body. This is known as vocal resonation. Another major influence on vocal sound and production is the function of the larynx which people can manipulate in different ways to produce different sounds. These different kinds of laryngeal function are described as different kinds of vocal registers.

Vocal registration

Vocal registration refers to the system of vocal registers within the human voice. A register in the human voice is a particular series of tones, produced in the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, and possessing the same quality. Registers originate in laryngeal function. They occur because the vocal folds are capable of producing several different vibratory patterns. Each of these vibratory patterns appears within a particular range of pitches and produces certain characteristic sounds. The term register can be somewhat confusing at it encompasses several aspects of the human voice. The term register can be used to refer to any of the following:

  • A particular part of the vocal range such as the upper, middle, or lower registers.
  • A resonance area such as chest voice or head voice.
  • A phonatory process
  • A certain vocal timbre
  • A region of the voice which is defined or delimited by vocal breaks.
  • A subset of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.

In linguistics, a register language is a language which combines tone and vowel phonation into a single phonological system.

Within speech pathology the term vocal register has three constituent elements: a certain vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, a certain series of pitches, and a certain type of sound. Speech pathologists identify four vocal registers based on the physiology of laryngeal function: the vocal fry register, the modal register, the falsetto register, and the whistle register. This view is also adopted by many vocal pedagogists.

Vocal resonation

Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. Various terms related to the resonation process include amplification, enrichment, enlargement, improvement, intensification, and prolongation, although in strictly scientific usage acoustic authorities would question most of them. The main point to be drawn from these terms by a singer or speaker is that the end result of resonation is, or should be, to make a better sound. There are seven areas that may be listed as possible vocal resonators. In sequence from the lowest within the body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses.

Influences of the human voice

The twelve tone musical scale, upon which most of the world's music is based, may have its roots in the sound of the human voice during the course of evolution, according to a study published by the New Scientist. Analysis of recorded speech samples found peaks in acoustic energy that mirrored the distances between notes in the twelve-tone scale.

Voice disorders

There are many disorders which affect the human voice; these include speech impediments, and growths and lesions on the vocal folds. Talking improperly for long periods of time causes vocal loading which is stress inflicted on the speech organs. When vocal injury is done, often a ENT specialist may be able to help, but the best treatment is the prevention of injuries through good vocal production.

Footnotes

Further reading

  • Puts, D. A., Gaulin, S. J. C., & Verdolini, K. (2006). Dominance and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in human voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27: 283-296. Full text

See also

External links

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 13:10:13 PDT (GMT -0700)
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