Among loud noise, a brassy and bright voice can help speakers be understood.
A study by Tsai et al. showed that twangy, female voices are best understood amongst plane and train sounds. Credit: AIP
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2025 — Twangy voices are a hallmark of country music and many regional accents. However, this speech type, often described as “brassy” and “bright,” can also be used to get a message across in a noisy environment.
In JASA Express Letters, published on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America by AIP Publishing, researchers from Indiana University found that it was easier to understand twangy female voices compared to neutral voices when…click to read more
From: JASA Express Letters
Article: How vocal timbre impacts word identification and listening effort in traffic-shaped noises
DOI: 10.1121/10.0037043