Identical Speech

Is the Speech of Twins Identical?

“Voice similarity in identical twins. If people are asked to discriminate visually the two individuals of a monozygotic twin (MT), they mostly get into trouble. Does this problem also exist when listening to twin voices?” Are the voices of twins similar? This is the question that led me to do my project on a twin study since my sister and I are identical twins. The voice of twins can be similar in terms or rate, prosody, pitch and could be the result of the environment especially since twins have a lot of interaction with each other. However, there are many differences that could account for the difference between the voice of two people. For example, “The voice mechanism includes the lungs, trachea, larynx, pharynx, nasal cavities, nostrils, oral cavities, teeth and lips…various configurations of tongue, teeth, and lip positions” could account for such differences in voice (Fletcher 8).

(Prime Performers)

OUTLINE

a. The differences between Mondizygotic and Dizygotic twins

b. Speaker-Specific Characteristics:

c. Differences in anatomy, physiology, linguistic experience and mental state of twins.

d. Speech Perception vs. Speech Production

a. Anatomy of the speech system

b. Respiration-chest, lungs, trachea, rib cage, muscles, abdomen, and diaphragm

c. Prosodic, rhythm, speed, intonation and volume of modulation differences in twins

d. Factors that affect voice

e. Hormones and External Factors

a. Vowel Sounds

b. Vowel variability in front, central back, or high, medium or low position

a. Procedures and Methods

b. Syllables, words and phrases used

c. Audacity program of recorded syllables/words/phrases and Sona Speech

d. Results