Now You're Talking

Full of well-I-never insights… A lively, intelligent and persuasive history of speech…Expertly and patiently explained – Laura Freeman * The Times *Fascinating… Illuminating… The book draws on the latest scientific research and is studded with arresting statistics… [Cox] wears his learning lightly… A rewarding read… Cox knows how to make his subject sing. And the narrative is enlivened by colourful anecdotes. – Sebastian Shakespeare * Daily Mail *[T]his is a continually interesting and instructive account of our conversational abilities, and a much needed exposé of our remarkable incapacity to infer anything from each other’s talk. – Harry Ritchie * The Spectator *[A] fascinating examination of how the nature of voices invoke prejudice and preconceptions – Adrian Woolfson * New Statesman *A brain-pleasing and entertaining read. Cox’s passion for his subject comes through on every page. An entertaining read for anybody. – Abi Jackson * UK Press Syndication *Cox’s investigation sweeps from the putative protolanguage of human ancestor Homo heidelbergensis to the likelihood of creative algorithmic discourse. * Nature *An epic and multi-stranded tale… Cox ably and entertainingly explores the political and cultural dimensions of how we speak – Simon Ings * New Scientist *This is a book overflowing with knowledge, and delight in it – James McConnachie * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *Epic… Cox keeps the tone accessible with pop-culture references throughout, revealing Cox’s taste in music and film – James Dacey * Physics World *Filled with remarkable insights and evidence from current research, Cox’s illuminating survey takes the reader on a fascinating journey – PD Smith * Guardian *

Trevor Cox is Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford. He has presented numerous science radio documentaries and his previous book, Sonic Wonderland- A Scientific Odyssey of Sound, was published to great acclaim in 2014.