What makes each human voice unique?

Question

What is it that makes every persons voice sound different .. even if similar there is usually something that doesn't sound quite the same. You can often recognise a persons voice even if you have only spoken to them a couple of times on the phone before. Also what is it that changes about the voice in time .. as you can usually guess a persons age from hearing their voice .. but sometimes peoples voices sound fairly young (20's-30ish) but they are actually more like 40's-50. Still other people are middle aged but when they answer the phone they sound like little kids and people ask to speak to their parents!

In short; - what causes the different sound of voices
- how/why does your voice change with age

Thanks to all who answer.

Answer 1

Vocal chords!..

Answer 2

The pitch and depth of the voice all depends on how thick or thin the vocal chords are. I think, that if someone had thinner vocal chords, they would have a higher voice. but i am not positive.

im not sure why the voice changes with age.

Answer 3

The differences in vocal sound from one person to another varies by several different aspects. Vocal cords can vary in tightness, the person's chest and neck shae, tongue size and positioning, muscle tightness, and of course environmental conditions affect the sound of ones voice. Each person's body is unique to them so each person will look and sound differently from someone else. Those that impersonate are able to manipulate their own vocal sound to audibly sound similar to someone else. They often have to practice to find the manipulation that matches.

Answer 4

The voice is a complex piece of musical engineering. It requires vocal chords, which are all varying thicknesses and lengths and are altered as we grow by the actions of our hormones, our environment, whether we smoke etc. Also, there is the rate and depth of breathing - how much air we pass over them when we speak will alter the sound. Then there is the shape and musculature of the throat, mouth, nasal passages and the way we utilise the muscles of our mouth and tongue to shape the words.
Complex - its no wonder I cant sing!

Answer 5

Your vocal chords actually determine the exact sound of your voice. But there are other factors that can affect the sound of your voice; et al. temperature, age, training, enviroment...etc.

Answer 6

many things affect the vocal cords, smoking being the worse. the tar clings to the cords causing them to thicken and become a deeper note.
People that live predominantly in towns tend to have deeper voices than those who live predominantly in the country because of similar reasons.

Answer 7

It may be something to do with the environment you live in, if you smoke etc. But if you think about it, every dogs bark is diffirent too. Really strange. Now you have got me thinking

Answer 8

Voices are different, as our all of our other human characteristics..It is all about our genome and DNA...we are all made alike, but we all have differences.....its sorta the same thing..Why do we all look different, yet all have similar genetic makeup...

Answer 9

The recitation makes you calm and fills you with inner peace, and you assert its usually a good e book . consistent with danger you're able to desire to get Osama Bin-laden and his crones to study it ,seems humorous to me, the same so called e book makes them such fanatical executioners . needless to say I heavily isn't analyzing it

Answer 10

the vocal cords and the nature the person is in