SP 201 PCC- Voice and Diction Midterm

Voice definition

vocal expression: utterance, manner of producing a speech sound

*Diction definition

choice and use of words in speech; distinctions of pronunciation

*Why do you need this class? (6 things)

Because speech is an acquired function/ learned skill

Because it can be learned incorrectly

Because vocal folds can be damaged with improper use

Because it is the foundation for good communication. Good content can be impeded by poor delivery

Because poor speech can hinder your effectiveness in your chosen field

Because it affects your testimony for the LORD- our speech represents Him.

Motivation

inner desire to reach a goal; requires self discipline

*Factors affecting speech improvement: MODRAD

Motivation, objectivity, definition of goals, rationalization, avoiding problems, and defensiveness.

Objectivity

be objective appraising your own speech abilities

Definition of goals

know what you want to achieve; be specific in practice

Rationalization

explaining away problems in our speech

Avoiding problems

if you don't practice the techniques, you can't improve

Defensiveness

keep an open mind; trust the process

*Pyramid to proper speech

1. Relaxation

2. Posture

3. Breathing

4. Production

Relaxation

This is necessary for proper speech because tension affects your vocal quality and stage presence by causing you to appear nervous, lacking confidence, and unknowledgeable. It can cause strident, harsh, and throaty qualities.

Tension definition

This causes vocal health issues such as damage (temporary or permanent) and aggravation to the vocal folds. It also affects vocal technique by causing yelling instead of resonating.

Types of tension

Posture tension happens when your arms, legs, torso are physically tight/ stiff. Throat tension aggravates the throat and causes the voice to be forced. Jaw tension is when the jaw is tight, limiting movement for speech.

Progressive Relaxation

Focus on each part of your posture and relax them one at a time.

Head rolling exercise

Roll your head from side to side to relax your neck

Sighing as an exercise

Take a deep breath, hold and for 3 seconds, then sigh "ahh"

Yawning as an exercise

One of the best ways to relax your throat tension!

Pyramid to Proper Speech - Posture

This is important because it helps to stabilize you, helps you breathe better for speech, helps you look more confident, helps keep your audience engaged, and makes you healthier.

*Chair method

This method promotes/ forces diaphragmatic breathing because your shoulders are constricted, thus, forcing you to breathe through your diaphragm.

*Nine points to proper posture

Toes: straight ahead

Feet: slightly apart

Body: weight over arches of feet

Weight: evenly distributed

Hips: tucked under

Chest: slightly elevated )not puffed)

Chin: parallel with the floor

Shoulders: relaxed (not hunched forward)

Knees: flexed

*Three points of seated posture

When you are following this, your back will be straight and not against the chair, your legs will be at a right angle, and your feet will be flat on the floor.

Pyramid of Proper Speech Level 3: Breathing

there are two types. One is to live and one is to speak.

*Breathing to speak

Active inhalation and exhalation in a rough and broken pattern, breaths are deep, the inhale is quick and exhale slow, and this is done voluntarily.

*Breathing to live

Passive inhalation and exhalation, smooth flowing but shallow, one inhales and exhales at the same rate in an involuntary way.

The process of respiration

Respiration- the process of inhalation and exhalation

The air we breathe is the power source for speaking

Components of the breathing process:

The diaphragm and lungs

The lungs are...

passive. They only respond to muscles and air pressure. The bottom touches the top of the diaphragm.

The diaphragm is the. . .

Most important component of the breathing process. It is thin and dome-shaped, sitting just below the ribs, slightly above the belly button. It can be controlled.

Abdominals (Abs)

minimal use in speech; But you should feel "energy" in them when using diaphragm in speech

Costal muscles:

muscles between the ribs, muscles connecting the sternum to collarbone; muscles from spine to neck

Clavicular breathing

breathing from chest (shallow breathing)

Diaphragmatic breathing

breathing from diaphragm

Two types of breathing

Diaphragmatic & clavicular

*The breathing process inhalation

Inhalation-

Diaphragm contracts; pouches down and forward

Chest muscles helps lift/ separate rib cage

Creates space for lungs to expand like balloons

Air pressure changes; air rushes in from outside

*The breathing process exhalation

Exhalation

Muscles relax

Everything returns to original place

Lungs pushed; air escapes

The Whole Method of memorization

First, read the whole selection aloud five times. Set it aside and talk through the major points. Then read through the piece another five times. Set it aside again, except this time, talk through it verbatim. Take a break for about twenty minutes. Repeat this process until you have it memorized.

Pros of the whole method

It aids in complete memorization and combats the "chunking" method and memory glitches.

Characteristics of a pleasant quality

It has good texture in that it is easy to listen to, it is vibrant with energy, sympathetic with compassion, conversational, and overall warm.

*Breathy=

too much air

*Thin=

child-like/ immature

*Strident=

tense/ metallic

*Harsh=

rough/ raspy

*Nasal=

through the nose

*De-nasal=

stuffy

*Throaty=

trapped in throat

*Hollow

dead inside (male version thinness)

*Vocal fry=

sizzle/ low tones

*Glottal shock=

catch/ click

What are the articulators?

They are the lips, tongue, teeth, soft palate, and jaw.

What is affected diction?

It is when a speaker uses harsh and overdone or fake sounding diction.

*Resonance

amplification of sound

Projection

how far sound travels

Force

emphasis; regardless of volume

Intensity

deliberately using varying degrees of force for communication

What is the key to expressiveness?

Ease & flexibility equal variety

What expressiveness is not:

It is not forced, labored or monotonous, and it is not dull.

Expressiveness

Using variety in pitch, rate, phrasing, emphasis, and tone quality to make vocal communication interesting and engaging.

*Unobtrusive pronunciation reversals:

reversing the sequence of sounds (calvary, cavalry)

*Unobtrusive pronunciation misplaced stress:

accent placed on wrong syllables (Guitar)

*Unobtrusive pronunciation intrusions:

adding extra sounds in a word (Burgalar)

*Unobtrusive pronunciation substitutions:

substituting another sound in place of the right sound ("bedder" instead of better")

*Unobtrusive pronunciation omissions:

leaving sounds out of words ("goverment")

Dialect and accent goal:

The goal- learn how to "switch it off" for the sake of your message and audience! Everyone has a dialect, but not everyone has an accent.

*Dialect

a variety of language within a language often distinguished by socio-geographical regions or factors

*Accent

the sound of a speaker's 1st language carried over to a 2nd language

Box method exercise for breath control

Breath in through your nose for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds. Finally, breathe out slowly for 8 seconds.

Production depends on. . .

exhalation, phonation, resonation, volume, and articulation.

Exhalation as part of production

the part that gives life to the voice by acting as the energy source. Air is the energy source!

The key to a strong voice is. . .

diaphragmatic breathing and breath control

Phonation as part of production

this is the part where air is converted from energy into sound as it passes through the larynx in exhalation, causing vibrations.

Larynx

"voice box" containing vocal folds

Pharynx

the throat (must relax)

Pitch

the high or low of one's voice

Habitual pitch

pitch at which you normally speak

Optimum pitch

the pitch at which your voice functions at it's best with the least amount of effort

Resonation

Amplification of sound- The process that increases and enriches the intensity of sound by increasing the rate of energy output

What are the resonators:

the nose- nasal cavity, mouth- oral cavity, and the throat- pharynx and upper thoracic cavity

Volume

loud/ soft of voice

How do you change your volume?

Change breath pressure, but not throat tension!

4 common volume errors

Constricting muscles, allowing pitch to rise, keeping jaw too tight, and practice space too small

What are the types of sounds (for articulation)?

Consonants, vowels, and diphthongs

*Mask exercise

this exercise helps with projection because you have to speak through the barrier of your hands to communicate.

*Innervation

The highly complex pattern of nerve impulses traveling from the brain to the parts of the body that work together to produce speech- including muscles of the abdomen and chest, larynx, the structures of the pharynx, larynx, and mouth, and the muscles of the tongue, palate, and lips.