The Sound Of My Voice

[Bigaldoc]

Here's a strange story of some events that have happened to me in the past few months that make me feel like "voice printing" is in full swing!

Several months ago there was an antique car show at the nursing home where Billie lived. She and I were wandering around, looking at the cars and I heard someone call my name. When I turned around, initially I didn't recognize the guy until he told me who he is. He was a former co-worker from IBM that I hadn't seen for 20-25 years and HE said he wouldn't have recognized me because of the beard, BUT he said he recognized my voice.

Then, a couple of months ago I was in the grocery store nearby, going through the checkout line and I heard someone behind me say my name. When I turned around, it was a fella from IBM accounting that I also hadn't seen for 20-25 years and HE said he wouldn't have known me except that he heard me talking to the cashier and he recognized my voice! Wow!

Yesterday, at the optician, I had just finished with the lady who was fitting my glasses and was telling her how clear my distance vision was. She handed me an eyeglass case, I thanked her and turned around to leave when I heard someone call my name! I turned around and there was a lady I wouldn't have known for anything until she told me her name. She was an employee of mine when I first got promoted to manager at IBM, from 1969-1973 when we left for Colorado. We schmoozed for a few minutes about the "old days" and when we got ready to say goodby, SHE tells me she wouldn't have known me because of the beard, BUT she recognized my voice! Can you believe this stuff? After 40+ years, this lady recognizes my VOICE! Must be something about my "residual" New York accent.

[Doc Watson]

I guess time doesn't change everything.

[viking33]

After 40+ years, this lady recognizes my VOICE! Must be something about my "residual" New York accent.

Alsolutely!
You can take the New Yorker out of NewYawk but you can't take the NewYawk out of the the New Yorker.

[Samantha]

Often it's not even the accent, but the timbre that I remember. Some voices just resonate more strongly with me. And some people have a better ear for voices than others. We had a receptionist at our law firm who would recognize voices that she'd only heard a few times, and often of people she never saw in person.

[Skitterbug]

Our high school graduating class had a reunion a few years ago. We all seem to have changed a bit since our school years.....except me perhaps!
It is usually a disaster for me when I try to put names with faces but I found that I recognized many class members by listening to them speak!

[Goshute]

Voices are very distinctive (once human males are post-pubescent), but that doesn't mean that they completely unique. My father's general medical practice took emergency home calls. At about age 18 I picked up the ringing phone, said hello, and was immediately mistaken by one of his nurses for him, and at once got a breathless war-and-peace story about an impending delivery. When she finally stopped, she initially refused to believe me when I said "I'm not Dr. F, I'm his son."