Anne Karpf is a British writer, journalist and sociologist. Born in London to Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivors, she studied at Oxford, and then worked in BBC Television. She has been a contributing editor to Cosmopolitan, a book reviewer for The Times, and for seven years was radio critic of the Guardian. After gaining a postgraduate degree in the Sociology of Health and Illness, she taught medical students at London University. Now a columnist for the Jewish Chronicle, she broadcasts regularly on BBC radio and television, and writes for many national newspapers on women, health, social, political, and Jewish issues. She lives in London and has two daughters.

Why has the female voice deepened over the last fifty years? Who talks more, men or women? How can a baby in the womb distinguish between different voices?

The human voice is the personal and social glue that binds us, and the most important sound in our lives. The moment we open our mouth we leak information about our biological, psychological and social status. Babies use it to establish emotional ties and acquire language, adults to decode mood and meaning in intimate and professional relationships. Far from being rendered redundant by modern technology, the human voice has enormous and enduring significance.