One thing I've been meaning to comment on is how certain well-known people sound alike. I'm sure everyone has their prime examples. Mine happens to be 3 men, whose voices I've noticed over the years. They seem to have a certain munchkin-like quality, that makes it difficult for the listener to take them seriously, at times.
I'm talkin' 'bout:
Sam Yorty (L.A. mayor 1961-73)
Louis Leakey (archeological anthropologist)
Imad Moustapha (current Syrian ambassador to the U.S.)
The only one living is the last guy. This makes it a little hard to directly compare them, but they all seem to share a voice that resides high up in the back of the mouth. It's a little hard to describe, as I'm not linguist, but I want to say it's like a combination of guttural, nasal, and squealy (squeally?).
I can't remember if Yorty squealed with excitement, but their voices made/make them perfect for cartoon characters.
(Hmm, as if Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, etc.) had come up with their voices.)
Posted by raacluse at December 14, 2005 11:47 AM