5 of the top reasons why emotive voice

matters
5
Euphony Follow
Jan 25, 2017 · 5 min read

Our voice is very personal to us. As part of our identify it conveys our sense
of self, our emotions and our intentions. It facilitates social interactions,
fosters understanding and is the foundation for how society interacts.

As an SLP or assistive technology professional, you understand the power

and importance of voice and language. You also understand the power of
augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications. That
is, applications used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas for those
with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written
language.

The problem with today’s AAC applications, however, is the quality of the
voices.

Synthetic voices used in today’s AAC applications are robotic and

unnatural. Their inflexibility severely limits the extent to which those with
communication impairments are able to connect and interact. This is
because emotive voice is fundamental to communication. It impacts
nearly all facets of an exchange.

The following presents the top reasons why emotive voice matters,
particularly in the context of AAC applications.

Intent and meaning

When you communicate your audience automatically makes judgements
from the sound of your voice. They assess your attitude, your sincerity, your
credibility and your motives. In turn, your voice affects how they respond to
your message and the overall outcome from the exchange. Without
emotion, intent and meaning can easily be misinterpreted or lost altogether.

Pitch and timbre play integral roles in this.

Concerning pitch, the way pitch impacts the ending of sentences can alter
their meaning and intent altogether. For instance, when you ask questions
they end on a higher note. Conversely, for assertive and affirmative
statements they end with a slightly lower pitch. “Seriously.” vs “Seriously?”
is a prime example. The former as an affirming statement whereas the latter
poses a question in reference to something.

Timbre on the other hand refers to the emotional quality of your voice. It’s
the attitude that drives how your words and phrases are delivered. Those
listening to you perceive your feelings from the timbre of your voice, and
from that they derive understanding.

Both pitch and timbre are core components of emotive voice, and facilitate
delivery of clear and cogent messages. However, if the messages are
delivered in inappropriate contexts, meaning and intent can be lost
altogether.

Context
When it comes to delivering meaningful messages in different contexts
emotive voice is critical. It’s also necessary to adhere to certain social
norms. E.g., for an aside you lower the volume of your voice. When making
a point you gradually raise the volume of your voice as you build toward
your assertion.

This notion of scenario suitability helps drive how we communicate. For

instance, in different conversational contexts we use rhythm and cadence to
bear meaning:

We slow the pace to emphasize certain ideas.

We quicken the pace to show excitement or humor.

We pause to underscore major points or give listeners time to absorb a

complex notion.

We also pause when we’re about to transition to another idea.

None of this is possible without emotive voice.

The synthetic voices used in today’s applications, which are robotic and
inauthentic, severely limit conversation, constrain social interaction,
and inhibit users from exhibiting their personalities.

Personality and identity

While speech is how we use words, voice is how we create sound. To our
listeners our voice is a part of who we are and what we believe. We use
our voice to personalize how we communicate, differentiate ourselves and
establish and maintain our identities.

Emotive voice in particular is instrumental in all of this. It’s used as a tool to

establish and convey who we are and how we feel. Not only do we use
emotive voice to establish our underlying identities and communicate how
we feel, we also use it to channel sincerity and credibility.

Sincerity and credibility

From the sound of your voice, your audience will judge your attitude toward
them and the ideas you’re presenting. They’ll judge your sincerity and
credibility in part by your voice. This in turn will influence how your
audience responds to you and your messages, and ultimately affect your
intended outcome [2].

In the context of AAC applications, those with communication impairments

are stifled by the inauthentic synthetic voices they’re tied to. At no point do
they have an opportunity to use the intonation and inflection necessary to
convey sincerity and establish credibility.

Emotive voice will change this. It will empower users and provide access to
richer communication mechanisms.

Accessibility
Future AAC applications will be highly personalized, less burdensome to
use, more eloquent and become more pervasive. For example, when
messaging a friend on a tablet or phone the user will not have to use
“special” technology, but can use the same apps and features that everyone
uses. This notion of accessibility is referred to as universal design — the
design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed,
understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless
of their age, size, ability or disability [3]. A core component of universal
design in communication applications will be emotive voice.

Emotive voice baked into universally designed applications will enrich

communication not only for those with communication impairments but
also for those who communicate with them. It will level the playing field
and establish more rich and robust communication exchanges between
them.

In closing
Synthetic voices used in today’s AAC applications are emotionless and
unnatural. They limit the extent to which those with communication
impairments connect and interact.

Emotive voice changes this.

With access to emotive voice, those with communication impairments are

better equipped to accurately impart intent and meaning. They can
account for context and scenario suitability, and ensure the messages they
deliver are appropriately received, with credibility and sincerity.

Most importantly, our voice is very personal to us. It’s a fundamental

component of one’s identity. It’s how we establish and convey who we are
and how we feel.

☞ Interested in learning more about the emotive

voice and voice synthesis?

☞ If you enjoyed this please consider clicking or

tapping the “❤”
. . .

[1] The Emotive Power of Voice

[2] Covert digital manipulation of vocal emotion alter speakers’ emotional

states in a congruent direction

[3] What is Universal Design

Design Accessibility Voices Voice Synthesis Assistive Technology

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WRITTEN BY

Euphony Follow

A platform for generating authentic text-to-speech voices with

emotional range.

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