Copycatting is a huge part of who we are. It begins at a very early age as we begin to develop our skills of communication, and behaviour, and so on. And, we've seen how it can take over in various areas of popular culture, from mindless TikTok reels to dreadful Hollywood blockbuster remakes! ;-)
As such, it can be a very natural, innocent, and necessary practice. Or, on the other extreme, we may be confronted with the belligerent plagiarist hailing their originality for something that was blatantly copied on-the-sly from someone more gifted.
Here, I'd like to specifically touch on vocal copycatting.
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echolalia: the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person.
The term echolalia tends to be used in circles relating to the research of autism. Generally, it’s a transition period in language development for small children. But for autistic people, of all ages, who don’t have functional language skills, it can manifest as one of their primary means of communication.
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vocal impressionist: a performer who imitates the voice, mannerisms, and sounds of other people or characters. They can mimic the speech patterns, accents, and intonations of celebrities, cartoon characters, or other people.
The variety of the impression can range from hyperbolic caricature to a faithful rendition of a well-known scene/speech. The impersonator will typically go the caricature route, and will tend to place the character into situations that are entirely foreign to our knowledge of that character. On the other hand, the straight-up mimic will follow more the parrot-like behaviour.
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audio deepfake: an emerging technology, based on AI techniques, used to create convincing speech patterns that sound just like specific people saying things they did not actually say.
Voice cloning/spoofing has been around for a while in a much more limited capacity. We've seen how Siri (and the like) has started to sound a little more realistic. Deepfake audio takes it to another level, and there have already been reports of its "impactful" malicious usage in business and political contexts.
Mea Culpa
For myself, I've always been fascinated with accents and dialects. As a quiet, shy type, growing up amid a family of six children, it was very liberating and fun to be able to bounce impressions off of my siblings and friends. From the thickly accented English soaps (Coronation Street, Eastenders, Brookside, ...), to the poetic sports commentators (Ted Lowe, Dan Maskell, Sid Waddell, ...), to our beloved comedic characters (from Sgt. Bilko to Basil Fawlty), and then the characters on the Big Screen (from The Man With No Name to Dr. Hannibal Lector).
Sometimes when you're trying to do the impression, you'll know yourself that it's a bit off, it's not very accurate, but, very often, that doesn't really matter. It's more about connecting with your audience (whether it be your best friend, or a group of virtual strangers) in a fun and more meaningful way.
The Trip
We all have our own favourite impressionists/impersonators. They might be doing a stand-up act, or a turn on Graham Norton. Or, it could be the hilarious Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon who flex their skills while indulging their culinary palates.
My Little Foray
Recently, I decided to purchase a non-expensive mic and start creating a few voice recordings. I've uploaded some of these to a YouTube playlist. When you've got some spare time, and need some background noise, feel free to visit:
