Pöördkõne

Pöördkõne, a term originating from Estonian, literally translates to "reverse speech." It refers to the phenomenon of hearing speech in reverse, often within prerecorded audio. This can occur intentionally, where audio is deliberately played backward to create a specific effect, or unintentionally, as a byproduct of audio manipulation or even as a perceived auditory illusion.

In popular culture and certain fringe theories, pöördkõne has been associated with hidden messages or conspiracies, with proponents suggesting that backward speech can reveal subconscious thoughts or secret communications. However, from a scientific perspective, the perception of meaningful messages in reversed audio is largely attributed to apophenia, the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. The human brain is adept at finding patterns, and when presented with reversed speech, it may attempt to impose structure and meaning onto random sounds.

Technically, reversing audio is a straightforward digital signal processing operation. When speech is reversed, the typical temporal ordering of phonemes and words is disrupted, making it difficult for the brain to process in its usual way. While some may claim to hear distinct messages, these are generally considered subjective interpretations rather than objective evidence of hidden content. The study of pöördkõne often intersects with acoustics, psychology, and media studies, exploring how humans perceive sound and interpret auditory information.