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Whispering

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Whisper" redirects here. For other uses, seeWhisper (disambiguation).
For the song, seeWhispering (song).
"Stage whisper" redirects here. For the Charlotte Gainsbourg album, seeStage Whisper.
Whispery
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Whispering
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Whisperingis anunvoicedmode ofphonationin which thevocal cordsareabductedso that they do not vibrate; air passes between thearytenoid cartilagesto create audible turbulence during speech.[1]Supralaryngealarticulationremains the same as in normal speech.

In normal speech, the vocal cords alternate between states of voice and voicelessness. In whispering, only the voicing segments change, so that the vocal cords alternate between whisper and voicelessness (though the acoustic difference between the two states is minimal).[2]Because of this, implementingspeech recognitionfor whispered speech is more difficult, as the characteristic spectral range needed to detectsyllablesandwordsis not given through the total absence oftone.[3]More advanced techniques such asneural networksmay be used, however, as is done byAmazon Alexa.[4]

There is no symbol in theIPAfor whispered phonation, since it is not usedphonemicallyin any language. However, a sub-dot under phonemically voiced segments is sometimes seen in the literature, as[ʃʊ̣ḍ]for whisperedshould.

Social role

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A girl whispers to another girl.

Whispering is generally used quietly, to limit the hearing of speech to those closest to the speaker; for example, to conveysecretinformation without being overheard or to avoid disturbing others in a quiet place such as a library or place of worship. Loud whispering, known as astage whisper,is generally used only for dramatic or emphatic purposes. Whispering can strain the vocal cords more than regular speech in some people, for whom speaking softly is recommended instead.[5]

ASMR

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An ASMR video wherein the performer whispers to the camera.

In 2010, it was discovered that whispering is one of the many triggers ofASMR,[6]a tingling sensation caused by listening to soft, rela xing sounds. This phenomenon made news headlines after videos onYouTubeof people speaking up close to the camera in a soft whisper, giving the viewer tingles.[7]People often listen to these videos to help them sleep and to relax.[8]

In non-humans

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The prevalence and function of low-amplitude signaling by non-humans are poorly characterized.[9]As such, it is difficult to ascertain the existence of whispering in non-humans. This is made more difficult by the specific physiology of human whispering. By sufficiently rela xing the definition of whispering, it can be argued any number of non-human species demonstrate whisper-like behaviors. Often these behaviors function to increasefitness.[9]

If whispering is more broadly defined as the "production of short-range, low-amplitude acoustic signals," whispering is observed in myriad animals including non-human mammals, fish, and insects.[9]

If whispering is restricted to include only acoustic signals which are significantly different than those produced at high amplitude, whispering is still observed acrossbiological taxa.[9]An unlikely example is thecroaking gourami.Croaking gouramis produce a high-amplitude "croak" duringagonistic disputesby beating specialized pectoral fins.[10]Female gouramis additionally use these fins to produce an acoustically distinct, low-amplitude "purr"during copulation.[11]

If whispering is restricted to include only creatures possessing vocal folds (i.e., mammals and some reptiles),[12]whispering has been observed in species includingcotton-top tamarinsand a variety of bats.[9]In captive cotton-top tamarins, whisper-like behavior is speculated to enable troop communication while not alerting predators.[a][13]Numerous species of bats (e.g.,spotted bats,[14]northern long-eared bats,[15]andwestern barbastelles)[16]alter their echolocation calls[b]to avoid detection by prey.[c]

Such a relaxed definition of whispering (i.e., production of short-range, low-amplitude acoustic signals which are significantly different than those produced at high amplitude) cannot be applied to humans without including vocalizations distinct from human whispering (e.g.,creaky voice,andfalsetto). Further research is needed to ascertain the existence of whispering in non-humans as established in the larger article.

Notes

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  1. ^The low-amplitude vocalizations of cotton-top tamarins are believed to be an alternative to high-amplitudemobbing calls.If true, both vocalizations would be distinct instances ofanti-predator adaptations.[13]
  2. ^These alterations come at the cost of spatial awareness.
  3. ^All mentioned species of bats prey on eared moths.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Principles of Phonetics.John Laver, 1994, Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics.
  2. ^Language History: An Introduction.Andrew L. Sihler,1999, John Benjamins,ISBN1556199686.
  3. ^John Coleman; Esther Grabe; Bettina Braun."Larynx movements and intonation in whispered speech"(PDF).Phon.ox.ac.uk.Retrieved2022-03-15.
  4. ^"Whisper to Alexa, and She'll Whisper Back".Retrieved2018-10-28.
  5. ^O'Connor, Anahad (7 February 2011)."The Claim: Whispering Can be Hazardous to Your Voice".The New York Times.
  6. ^Seal, Rebecca (22 March 2019)."HOW ASMR Become a Sensation".Financial Times.
  7. ^"The weirdest YouTube craze yet".NewsComAu.2014-11-05.Retrieved2019-08-29.
  8. ^"GentleWhispering and ASMR: The voice that triggers euphoria and seven".The Independent.2014-12-16.Retrieved2019-08-29.
  9. ^abcdeReichard, Dustin; Anderson, Rindy (July 2015)."Why signal softly? The structure, function and evolutionary significance of low-amplitude signals".Animal Behaviour.105:253–265.doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.017.S2CID53188816.
  10. ^Ladich, Friedrich; Brittinger, Waltraud; Kratochvil, Helmut (1992). "Significance of agonistic vocalization in the croaking gourami (Trichopsis vittatus, Teleostei)".Ethology.90(4): 307–314.doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1992.tb00841.x.ISSN0179-1613.
  11. ^Ladich, Friedrich (2007)."Females whisper briefly during sex: context- and sex-specific differences in sounds made by croaking gouramis".Animal Behaviour.73(2): 379–387.doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.04.014.S2CID53164055.
  12. ^Brumm, Henrik; Zollinger, Sue Anne (31 May 2017)."Vocal plasticity in a reptile".Proceedings. Biological Sciences.284(1855).doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.0451.PMC5454267.PMID28539517.
  13. ^abMorrison, Rachel; Diana, Reiss (2013). "Whisper‐like behavior in a non‐human primate".Zoo Biology.32(6): 626–631.doi:10.1002/zoo.21099.PMID24038444.
  14. ^Fullard, J; Dawson, J (1997). "The echolocation calls of the spotted bat Euderma maculatum are relatively inaudible to moths".The Journal of Experimental Biology.200(Pt 1): 129–137.doi:10.1242/jeb.200.1.129.PMID9317482.
  15. ^Faure, PA; Fullard, JH; Dawson, JW (1993). "The gleaning attacks of the northern long-eared bat, Myotis septentrionalis, are relatively inaudible to moths".The Journal of Experimental Biology.178:173–189.doi:10.1242/jeb.178.1.173.PMID8315370.
  16. ^Goerlitz, Holger; ter Hofstede, Hannah; Zeale, Matt; Jones, Gareth; Holderied, Marc (2010)."An Aerial-hawking bat uses stealth echolocation to counter moth hearing".Current Biology.20(17): 1568–1572.doi:10.1016/j.cub.2010.07.046.PMID20727755.S2CID15939048.
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