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Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by mrsebastian on Thursday March 01, 2012 @07:15AM (#3651810)
Have you ever tried speaking when you can't hear your own voice at all? It's pretty hard, too.
Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by JumpCrisscross on Thursday March 01, 2012 @07:22AM (#3651820)
It doesn't cancel your speech - it plays it back to you with a slight delay. You hear what you said an instant ago.

Turn on the TV. Try repeating what someone talking continuously says right after they say it. That's what happens; it jams you mentally. Granted simultaneous translators at the UN do it with a twist, so it's possible.

Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by mrsebastian on Thursday March 01, 2012 @07:25AM (#3651828)
No, I mean, if you wore earplugs to defend yourself from the jammer -- you can't tell how loud you're talking, and controlling pitch/tone can be hard, too.

(AFAIK, this is why deaf people find it hard to speak.)

Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by JumpCrisscross on Thursday March 01, 2012 @07:46AM (#3651864)
I don't think headphones keep you from hearing yourself - the vibrations travel through your jaw from your voice box to your inner ear. Sort of how your voice sounds a bit different when you're wearing high quality noise-cancelling headphones.
Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by mrsebastian on Thursday March 01, 2012 @07:55AM (#3651878)
Yea, it might be possible with practice.

I guess public speakers could also have their speech pumped directly back into an earbud (like live music singers).

Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by Anechoic on Thursday March 01, 2012 @08:44AM (#3652003)
(AFAIK, this is why deaf people find it hard to speak.)

People who have been deaf from birth or youth find it hard to speak because they don't have the experience hearing others pronounce words which lets them develop proper pronunciation (similar to how non-native speakers have an accent).

People born with normal hearing who have lost their hearing due to age or noise exposure have no problem speaking.

Re:New speech-jamming gun hints at dystopian Big Brother future by flpmor on Thursday March 01, 2012 @08:56AM (#3652039)
I think that you would still hear yourself, because you hear the sound resonating from inside your body, that's why people dislike their recorded voice.

In general, I am not sure that the claim that this is going to prevent people from talking very effectively. Maybe it will be uncomfortable, but with a little bit of training and earplugs would not be effective for too long.