Can one detect racial identity from speech?

<<No use trying to convince JohnnyC, you don't get much more stubborn than someone who believes the earth is 6000 years old.>>

Where did you get that? I don't think we've discussed the age of our planet on this forum. You have an amazing ability to read into my posts opinions that I myself do not maintain. In fact I believe in evolution and dinosaurs and I'm pro-stem cell research, pro gay rights and favor a bright line separation of church and state. I even believe the Earth is nto flat. I'm also pro-drugs and against the American military operations in Iraq. You can't know in advance what my opinion will be unless I've told you. Ask and you shall receive babe. Just ask.. don't go trying to intuit what JohnnC is thinking abotu any given subject.

Here's what I don't believe. I do *not* believe that a person's DNA or something called "racial identity" (whatever the fuck that is) can be detected from a person's speech. That's crazy talk. I also don't believe an idiolect can have a face and I don't like to see circus freaks, midgets, fat people or hear people speak in pigeon English or dialects. That shit just freaks me out so don't do it here. Keep diggin' me though babe. I'll get you through some lonely nights.

"I mean seriously, how could a person possibly tell another person's race from hearing them talk?" You can often tell by certain characteristics of the person's voice. It has nothing to do with their accent.

I'll repreat what I said earlier:

<<Black people do have different voices from white people. [...] After all, if they have different skin color, different eye color, different hair pattern, and different facial shape, why should we necessarily expect their voices to sound the same?>>

There's no "crazy talk" about it, Johnny. It's perfectly reasonable to conclude that, just as people of different races look different, they may sound different.

- Kef

JohnnyC,

How do you know it is not encoded in the DNA? You know, the genetic information for the vocal chords is encoded in the DNA as are all other physical traits. People of different races have different physical traits, and physical traits include the vocal cords. Maybe they have slightly differently shaped vocal chords. I'm sure the difference is not huge, but I doubt you know shit all about it.

<<There's no "crazy talk" about it, Johnny. It's perfectly reasonable to conclude that, just as people of different races look different, they may sound different.>>

Thanks Kef. When you put it that way, I'm in. Finally someone who can explain it so it makes sense. The rest of these hillbilly robots don't make any sense when they try to explain things. They answer questions with questions and say ridiculous shit like idolects can have a face. I think they're just trying to freak me out. I'm gonna go to sleep tonight and have nightmares of inbred midget banjo players having their idiolects detach from their larynx making lecherous faces at me and chasing me through the woods.

Thanks for clearing that up though. I always enjoy your posts. Glad to see you back in the forum!

I second JohnnyC, race per se has nothing to do with speech.
There are quite a few adopted Asian children in American and British families. I guess they should speak exactly like people they grew up with, not their biological parents.

About a year ago I started a thread about the voice pitch, which, regrettably, was mostly ignored. I wondered why most Americans (a whole multitude of races) are easily identified by their deep voices, and Indians (Asians) by high ones.
If T. Blair or Musharraf had been adopted ab incunabulis by Nat King Cole (you can name some other celebrity) what kind of voice would they have?

By the way Bush-senior seems to have a deeper voice than his son.

<<<<By the way Bush-senior seems to have a deeper voice than his son. >>>>

That because his son's balls are in his head.

I agree, George W. hasn't yet reached puberty.

*Just to make it clear once again: JohnnyC is not Johnny. I am Johnny. I am not 100% sure, but I think JohnnyC chose that nick when I already had mine. I just don't think I had noticed any nicks similar to "Johnny" when I first came here, so I chose it. But I could be mistaken. Have you used JohnnyC for long, JohnnyC?*


<<After all, if they have different skin color, different eye color, different hair pattern, and different facial shape, why should we necessarily expect their voices to sound the same?>>
That is interesting. I've always wondered about that. It always seems black people have that kind of "nasal" voice or something... Africans included. But is it because of the way their mouth and throat is, or is it just something related to accents? I really don't know.

It's not without reason that even the Blacks retain the term "to talk white" among themselves.

There is a certain way of speaking, when you hear it, you can be 95% sure that it's an Afro-American.

<<Have you used JohnnyC for long, JohnnyC?*>>

I haven't been posting here that long. I lurked for some time and jumped in fairly recently. I don't think I had seen your posts until someone brought up the connection. I certainly didn't intend to make people think we're the same person. Generally our approach is different so there's probably no confusion at this point.

I also thought it was funny that someone thought Mr. P and I were the same person. Apparently some people found us to be equally annoying, but I'm not Mr. P. I have used another moniker on this site, but I've never used "Johnny" and "Mr. P".

Incidently I got the name from an uncredited character in the film American Pie 2, so its origins predate my arrival in this forum by several years.