Talks on Talking | Page 8

too much physical effort in speaking. They tighten
the muscles of the throat and mouth, instead of liberating these muscles
and allowing the voice to flow naturally and harmoniously. The remedy
for this common fault of vocal tension is to relax all the muscles used
in speech. This is easily accomplished by means of a little daily
practice.
The first thing to keep in mind is that we should speak through the
throat and not from it. A musical quality of voice depends chiefly upon
directing the tone towards the hard palate, or the bony arch above the
upper teeth. From this part of the mouth the voice acquires much of its
resonance.
An excellent exercise for throat relaxation is yawning. It is not
necessary to wait until a real yawn presents itself, but frequent practice
in imitating a yawn may be indulged in with good results. Immediately
after practicing the yawn, it is advisable to test the voice, either in
speaking or in reading, to observe improvement in freedom of tone.
It is not desirable to use the voice where there is loud noise by way of
opposition. Many a good voice has been ruined due to the habit of
continuous talking on the street or elsewhere amid clatter and hubbub.
Under such circumstances it is better to rest the voice, since in any
contest of the kind the voice will almost surely be vanquished.
What we need in our daily conversation is less emphasis, and more
quietness and non-resistance. We need less eagerness and more

vivacity and variety. We need a settled equanimity of mind that does
not deprive us of our animation, but saves us from the petty irritations
of everyday life. We need, in short, more poise and self-control in our
way of speaking.
It is well to remember that few things we say are of such importance as
to require emphasis. The thought should be its own recommendation.
But if emphasis be necessary, let it be by the intellectual means of
pausing or inflection, rather than with the shoulders or the clenched
fist.
A very disagreeable and common fault is nasality, or "talking through
the nose." Many persons are guilty of this who least suspect it. This
habit is so easily and unconsciously acquired that everyone should be
on strict guard against it. Almost equally disagreeable is the fault of
throatiness, caused by holding the muscles of the throat instead of
relaxing them.
The best tones of the speaking voice are the middle and low keys.
These should be used exclusively in daily conversation. The use of high
pitch is due to habit or temperament, but may be overcome through
judicious practice. The objection to a high-keyed voice is not only that
it is disagreeable to the listener, but puts the speaker "out of tune" with
his audience.
A good speaking voice should possess the qualities of purity, resonance,
flexibility, roundness, brilliancy, and adequate power. These qualities
can be rapidly developed by daily reading aloud for ten minutes, giving
special attention to one quality at a time. A few weeks, assiduous
practice will produce most gratifying results. The voice grows through
use, and it grows precisely in the way it is habitually used.
Distinct articulation and correct pronunciation are indications of
cultivated speech. Pedantry should be avoided, but every aspirant to
correct speech should be a student of the dictionary. A writer has given
this good counsel:
"Resolve that you will never use an incorrect, an inelegant, or a vulgar

phrase or word, in any society whatever. If you are gifted with wit, you
will soon find that it is easy to give it far better point and force in pure
English than through any other medium, and that brilliant thoughts
make the deepest impressions when well worded. However great it may
be, the labor is never lost which earns for you the reputation of one who
habitually uses the language of a gentleman, or of a lady. It is difficult
for those who have not frequent opportunities for conversation with
well-educated people, to avoid using expressions which are not current
in society, although they may be of common occurrence in books. As
they are often learned from novels, it will be well for the reader to
remember that even in the best of such works dialogues are seldom
sustained in a tone which would not appear affected in ordinary life.
This fault in conversation is the most difficult of all to amend, and it is
unfortunately the one to which those who strive to express themselves
correctly are peculiarly liable. Its effect is bad, for though it is not like
slang, vulgar in itself, it betrays an effort to conceal vulgarity. It may
generally be remedied by avoiding any word or phrase which you may
suspect