Life in Five Senses: Two Stories of Voice Recognition

Have you ever voice recognized someone? Bring this question to your Thanksgiving table (or next social gathering). I wonder what people will say.

After voice recognizing 5 SF Giants, I got them to sign my Spanish workbook

When I speak of voice recognizing a person, I am not alluding to anything technical or as formal as its definition: "a deep learning technique used to identify, distinguish, and authenticate a particular person’s voice. It evaluates an individual’s unique voice biometrics, including frequency and flow of pitch, and natural accent. Although the terms “voice recognition” and “speech recognition” are often used interchangeably, they are distinct: Speech recognition recognizes spoken words; voice recognition identifies the speaker (arm.com). No. Voicing recognizing a person means that you recognize a person, unassisted, by the sound of their voice. 

I would argue everyone has done this—whether or not we are aware of it. For example, ladies: How many times have you been in a large dressing room and heard someone yell out "Mom?!" How is it that the right woman always responds? Voice recognition.

Even Jesus was in on voice recognition. In the parable about The Good Shepherd, John 10 1-4, He teaches

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. 2 But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

Indeed, Christ knew the power and import of a person's voice.

Many people admit that they don't like the sound of their voice as recorded on a phone, voicemail.  Still, everyone has their own, unique voice. Even identical twins—siblings who share the same DNA have a voice of their own. No two are the same. And, I find them fascinating. Some are deep—a baritone. Others are scratchy and shrill. Vocal fry is not becoming while folks with with good intonation sound positive, confident and pleasant.

A colleague in the Religious Studies department said, "I've always wondered What if I didn't like the sound of Jesus' voice"?' I responded by suggesting that Jesus' voice was probably neutral. 

To me, the majority of people don't have a remarkable voice; they are voice neutral. My guess is that there is a bell shaped curve when it comes to voices. Some have annoying voices: too high, too shrill, too fry and the others have great voices: resonant, distinct and attractive. Thoughts? 

Still, we know people by their voices. Obviously we know famous people by their appearance and activities, but from time to time we know a few of them by their voice, too. To voice recognize a person suggests an added level of familiarity. It means that you have heard them speak—and you may or may not know what they look like. However, the sound of their voice enables you to put two and two together.

I have but two good stories that involve voice recognition and listening to one of my favorite podcasts: Happier reminded me of the concept and my own experiences with it.

The Brett Butler Show
I was a die-hard fan of the 1989 Giants. I went to 20 games at Candlestick Park with my brother. If I didn't watch the games, I listened to them on KNBR 680 AM. The postgame show was hosted by the orange and black's centerfielder, Brett Butler. He was an excellent announcer and a great lead-off hitter.

I had a summer job at the Concord Pavilion as a "runner." In short, I would get whatever the concessions stand needed—more ice, cups, trays, etc. Some of these supplies were in "the cage" which was the backstage area. I didn't think too much about who might be backstage or what they might be doing. I needed to get from point A to point B. However, on this one night—the band Chicago was playing—I heard a voice in the darkness that I had heard many times before. I know this voice! 

I went over to the group of five men and said "Wait...wait....You're Brett Butler." He smiled and said "yes I am." And I said "and you're Terry Kennedy...and Gary Carter." I knew each one of them by name. I told them I was a big fan. I don't remember how I went from that conversation to getting them to sign my Spanish workbook, but I've kept that page all these years.

The voice gives him away
My friend Mike has a penchant for running into famous people. He never overreacts to anyone he sees. He always says "hello" like he is their next of kin.

A couple of years ago, I ran into Mike on Chestnut Street. We started talking and he said "go into that store. Barry Bonds is in there." Bonds played for the Giants from 1993-2007 and has the single season record for the most career home runs. He is arguably one of the best baseball players of all time. 

Always pumped for an athletic star sighting, I walked in and worried that I missed #25. He was no where to be found. I tried to play it cool and browse the shop but I was looking for Bonds. Suddenly, I heard his voice. It's rather high pitched and soft. It's not what you expect when you look at this former professional athlete. I recognized his voice before I saw him in plain sight. It's hard to mistake Bonds with anyone else!

Conclusion
Our voice is just another attribute of our humanity. We can know a person by many things—their hair/hair color, their gait, their height, weight and so forth. It's possible to recognize another person in so many ways, including their voice. It's life in five senses, why limit ourselves to thinking of people any differently?!

An audio version of this post is not available.

Photo Credits
Brett Butler
Good Shepherd
Barry