ASSOCIATE OF SPEECH
IN SPEECH & DRAMA PERFORMANCE
CREDIT ONE
Voice and Speech
QUESTION:
What important elements of speech do you consider to be essential for the delivery of any form of spoken language by anyone involved with the presentation or oral language.
State (i) what these elements are
(ii) why they are important
AND
Describe the ways by which you have improved your own abilities in this area.
ANSWER:
Speech is the shaping of the initial sound made in the larynx, when the vocal
folds vibrate. The steps in speech
production are (1) Articulation (2) Modulation (3) Projection.
These are the elements of speech that are essential for the delivery of
any form of spoken language by anyone involved with the presentation of oral
language.
Articulation is the process of taking the sound, made in the larynx, and shaping
it into clear consonants and vowels.
Consonants are sounds that are stopped or partially stopped by the organs
of articulation – lips, tongue, teeth, lower jaw, hard and soft palate and teeth
ridge. The plosive consonant is
when the breath is stopped suddenly by the organs of articulation, then, when
the organs move apart, the breath escapes giving a little explosion of sound,
for example ‘t’, ‘b’, ‘p’ consonants. Continuous
consonants are formed when the organs of articulation continue to stop the
breath so that it must find (a) another way out, e.g. ‘n’ travels through the
nasal cavity (b) a way around, e.g. ‘l’ travels around the sides of the tongue,
or (c) force its way through, e.g. ‘f’ forces its way through the teeth and
lips. Consonants are also either
voiced or unvoiced. Voiced
consonants are made when two or more vocal folds lie almost together and as the
breath moves through the narrow space the folds vibrate.
Unvoiced consonants are not obstructed by vocal folds as they lie apart.
Consonants are important for speech as they give the clarity to words.
Vowels are important to give resonance, projection, tone and the musical
qualities to the voice. Vowels are
all voiced sounds and are vital for articulation.
Articulation is important as it gives clarity to speech, through the
consonants and vowels. To develop
articulation and explore the organs of articulation I find these exercises
useful before a spoken presentation or performance.
Exercise 1
Purpose: To recognise the organs of
articulation and their relation to sounds.
Steps: (1) Drop the jaw - ‘mah, mah, mah’
(2) Lift the soft palate - ‘ing, ing, ing’
(3) Exercise the tongue – ‘let it lie still’
(4) Work out the lips – ‘oo-ee-oo-ee-oo-ee’
Outcome: The organs will now be identified and have more flexibility.
Exercise 2
Purpose: To explore the value of
vowel and consonant sounds.
Steps: (1) Say the first line of a
piece you are working with.
(2) Now repeat it sounding only the consonants.
(3) Again, with only the vowels.
(4) Lastly, repeat it, over-exaggerating and enunciating the words.
Outcome: You will realise the importance of sounding all vowels and consonants
for clarity and crispness.
Modulation is the artistic management of the sound made, through pitch, pace,
pause, inflection and emphasis. It
is important in speech to modulate as this conveys the meaning of the text to
the audience through the performer.
Pace and pause are extremely useful tools as pace can convey the essence of a
piece to the audience, while pause emphasises the message and gives the audience
time to absorb what is being said.
To enhance the modulation of a performance I like to use this exercise.
Exercise 1
Purpose: To find the correct place
for pausing, pace and to relate to the meaning.
Steps: (1) Say the piece you are working with, then repeat with fast pace, then
slow.
(2) Now say it with a pause after each word, then with as little pauses
as possible.
(3) Say the piece with a breath or pause in between each new idea,
understanding the words spoken.
(4) Now say the piece a last time utilising the modulation.
Outcome: The pacing of the piece
should be found, as well as the places for appropriate pause, while maintaining
a sense of meaning.
Projection is using all the previous steps of voice and speech production
(relaxation, breathing, vocal production, resonance, articulation and
modulation) so that the audience can hear the performer clearly.
Articulation is especially useful here, for the correct hearing of words.
If a performer does not project, then an audience will not hear and may
lose interest. However, some
performers do not understand that projection is NOT
volume – it is energy. I use
this exercise in preparation for a performance to find the correct projection I
need.
Exercise 1
Purpose: To practice projecting
into the space.
Steps: (1) Say the piece of text you
are working with focusing to the floor – note how the sound doesn’t travel.
(2) Now repeat it directing the sound to the back of the room.
(3) Again, but ¾ down the room.
(4) Now say the piece with correct posture (eyes closed may help) and
focus the sound from within yourself, so you are grounded and centred.
Outcome: The piece should flow from
within you, grounded. You will have
projected into the space.
I
have improved my own abilities in the area of speech production by using the
exercises I have outlined, in rehearsals and before performances.
I also warm-up beforehand and exercise relaxation, breathing and
resonance techniques. I find it is
very important to have correct posture – this relates to all performers.
By taking opportunities, such as drama classes, community productions and
theatre companies,
I
have been able to use all steps of speech production and improve in all areas.
The key is practice and performance.
Without that, articulation, modulation and projection may not be
correctly developed as elements of speech and the delivery of any form of spoken
language by anyone involved with the presentation of oral language may not be
successful.