ARTICULATION
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ELEMENTARY SOUNDS
Articulation is the utterance of the elementary sounds of a language, and of their combinations.
An Elementary Sound is a simple, distinct sound made by the organs of speech.
The Elementary Sounds of the English language are divided into Vocals, Subvocals, and Aspirates.
Vocals are those sounds which consist of pure tone only. They are the most prominant elements of speech. A diphthong is a union of two vocals, commencing with one and ending with the other.
Subvocals are those sounds in which the vocalized breath is more or less obstructed.
Aspirates consist of breath only, modified by the vocal organs.
So opens the McGuffy's Fourth Eclectic Reader, originally published in 1866. The version sitting on my Sweetie's bookshelf is considerably newer, referencing a 1920 copyright. Still, I profess to not remembering any of this stuff. My bad. We will have to delve into this classic more deeply in the future.
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I've remarked more than once that our younger speakers, whether in meetings or conversation, are becoming more difficult to understand. Their tones have become incredibly nasal and words indistinct - I think of it more as a shadowing of a media entrenched in reality shows and hand held cameras.
ReplyDeleteThere is an art to speaking - whether it be publicly or privately. It's an awareness of what we're going to say and how to say it. It doesn't have to be brilliant - it just has to be understandable.
One other thing I've noticed is that there is a large difference in the tonal quality of speakers outside of the US - they tend to speak more from their chests. It's a deeper quality.
Maybe it's me...my wife accuses me of being overly critical. But some things just don't go unnoticed...