speaking

Jazz legend Billie Holiday at a recording session in 1957. Holiday's pioneering vocal style played with tempo, phrasing and pitch to stir hearts.

Science
Health & Safety

How The Brain Helps You Sing Or Say What You Mean

9:00am July 27, 2018

by Sara Kiley Watson

The richness of human vocal communication turns partly on our ability to control pitch, scientists say. Consider the difference you hear between "Let's eat, Grandma" and "Let's eat Grandma."

Simply going up in pitch at the end of a sentence can transform a statement into a question.

National
Science
Health & Safety

Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said

5:28pm August 24, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.

Now Algorithms Are Deciding Whom To Hire, Based On Voice

8:58am May 27, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

If you're trying out for a job, the one judging you may not be a person — it could be a computer. Algorithms are evaluating human voices to determine which ones are engaging, calming and trustworthy.

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