Perfecting The Power to Talk – The Future of Voice And Speaking

Talking, conversing, exchanging words: for more than 10 million people, this seemingly simple act cannot be imagined without assistive technologies, such as voice generating devices, touch screens or text-to-speech apps. What does the digital future bring for them? How could innovations turn around the translation industry or the medical administration process? Here’s a glimpse into the future of voice and speaking. Speaking, identity, voice stereotypes Give me the key! – This simple sentence carries much more information when it’s pronounced. A weary Philippino mother could instruct her little child as she cannot open the door to their home otherwise. A friend could reassure a troubled twenty-something that everything’s going to be alright with her dog, she will take care of little Suzy while she’s away on holiday. An angry and jealous Dutch woman can demand the opener from her boyfriend who doesn’t want to unlatch the door as another woman hides behind it. Voice carries much more information about the speaker than just content. Tonality, speed, volume, pitch or articulation of the vowels all matters – and make every single one of us unique, become part of our identities. And as other characteristics of human appearance, it creates expectations and stereotypes. A strong, muscle-man is anticipated to have a low, rotund voice while a small girl a thin and high-pitched one. That’s why jokes playing with voice stereotypes could work: as in the cute cartoon, Up, w...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Cyborgization Future of Medicine Medical Professionals Patients apps assistive technology Health Healthcare Innovation speaking speech speech generating voice voice generating device Source Type: blogs