Published: Thu, May 17, 2018
Life&Culture | By Sue Mclaughlin

Audio clip spurs social media debate over Yanny or Laurel

Audio clip spurs social media debate over Yanny or Laurel

"However, there is a significant difference in the second and third resonances of the two words, which is how humans interpret the words", she said.

"I can't figure out how one would hear yanny". Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said he'd like "to declare something that is just so obvious: It is laurel and not yanny".

RNZ Auckland staffers unanimously heard "Yanny" in the clip, however further investigations showed it was possible to hear both words depending on the type of headphones worn.

Here at the Chief, of the six people who've heard the audio, four people hear "Yanny", while one person hears "Laurel".

It's the audio equivalent of "the dress", which drove America insane back in 2015 as millions disputed whether the outfit was white and gold or black and blue. She said she heard laurel. Amid the background noise, you're able to focus on what your dining partner is saying.

Story analyzed the acoustic features of the words
View Slideshow Story analyzed the acoustic features of the words"Yanny and"Laurel. Brad Story

The audio clip bends the question to what is heard, rather than what is seen, and people are fired up about it.

When McCreery was at home, listening on his phone, he clearly heard "Laurel".

They speculate that there are two separate voices in the recording, one saying "Laurel" at a lower frequency and the other saying "Yanny" at a higher frequency.

McCreery says the acoustics for both words are present in the clip.

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