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CHAPTER I. |
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SPEECH.
1. Introduction.—Man thinks, writes, and speaks in words, and in each case they have a dominant significance ; for words correspond to ideas in thought, to letters in writing, and to sounds in speech.
A written or spoken sentence may be described as a thought expressed in words.
The written thought, although it is clothed in beautiful language by the author, merely consists of lifeless words: the spoken thought is endued with life by the speaker, whose aim it is to make each sound stand out clearly and to give the words just that appropriate tone that brings out the correct sentiment. This is what is meant by reading with expression, for the expressive reader is able to convey to his audience the full meaning of the subject-matter; this depends upon his ability to grasp the exact sentiments of the author, upon the clearness of his utterance, and upon the facility with which he can express these sentiments by suitable modulation of the voice.
This short treatise deals only with the mechanism of speech. By the control of the vocal organs, a habit of clear utterance and of perfect intonation can be acquired whereby the speaker will have little or no difficulty in obtaining the power of expressing what he feels. |
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