From whence dost thou speakest?
It occurred to me as I was talking to my dog Jackson some time ago that the sound I was hearing wasn't strictly my own. We all have a voice that we use to talk to animals, very much like the voice that comes into play while talking to children. It's a different kind of voice, kinder, sweeter and more gentle. And so it was while I gently stroked his muzzle some time ago, the voice I was using was kind and soothing. It was my mother's voice. The cadence, the accent, the timbre...it was her gentle whisper. My father's voice takes over when I'm more boisterous and playful. Even the tone and timbre change to something resembling my father's mellow baritone. How I miss those voices. But it then occurs to me that they're as close as I want them to be. They're right here. They are not lost forever.
Where does your voice come from? What happens when you speak and who's sound do you hear? Your parents? A sibling? Where you raised by a grandparent and if so do vestiges of their inflection still manifest themselves through you? We are indeed more than singular beings living in a vacuum, we are the repository of our family's legacy. One that, hopefully, lives on every time we open our mouths to speak. Every time we talk to the animals.
Where does your voice come from? What happens when you speak and who's sound do you hear? Your parents? A sibling? Where you raised by a grandparent and if so do vestiges of their inflection still manifest themselves through you? We are indeed more than singular beings living in a vacuum, we are the repository of our family's legacy. One that, hopefully, lives on every time we open our mouths to speak. Every time we talk to the animals.
Comments
I don't use my Mom's voice, cause she won't let it go for more than a second at a time. =)
Vagabond, you just reminded me of something. When I'm furiously angry my voice reverts to the mild New England accent of my teenage years which is odd. And I do so hate to see it deviate from the dulcet tones of Broadcast Standard that I normally use.
I have many voices. The Washingtonian crisp, quick authorative voice that sounds almost like a West Wing character. It's the one I use with my boss when I mean business.
Then there's the mischievous voice of the little girl who still hasn't grown up, even at 50+. That's the playful voice I employ with friends and family most often.
Sometimes, also there's the grown woman's voice, sweet, maternal and gentle. I don't use it enough.
And aren't we all more complex than we realize?