I’ve seen this illusion back at uni in phonetics class. They also had an even more interesting one — if there’s a sound in another language that is not in your mother tongue, so you haven’t experienced it while growing up, it will sound identical to the closest sound you ARE aware of. The best known example is the l/r thing that speakers of Chinese languages experience, but we also listened to sounds that weren’t in our own language family, and they did indeed sound indistinguishable from the closely related sounds that were played after them.

Intonation can make a whole sentence change content-wise as well, whereas we do say the same words as when e.g. when saying a sentence without sarcasm ..

Also, human’s bodies show at times stuff that is not really on ín the body owner him/herself (emotions, or lack of it).

It’s a tricky world … the example they show here is not on or present in my world at all .. it’s all the other stuff that makes the world tricky …

PS: can’t get it out of my mind, but I do hear a different sound (the lower lip) .. try listening to both sounds with closed eyes .although

- Very good point! – Phillis

Humbug.

Additional illusion: if it looks like you are saying FAH FAH FAH, you also look slightly more tanned.

I’m now going to have a small psychotic break where all I can hear is a man going BA BA BA and a very British woman repeating “Remember, the only sound you are hearing, is BAH with a B.”