TEST QUESTIONS

These questions are for the student to use in testing his knowledge of the principles in this lesson. They are suggestive merely, dealing largely with the practical application of the principles, and are to be placed in the notebook for future reference.

1. What is meant by the purpose of the speech? Is it a general thing or a specific thing? Can purposes be easily classified?

2. When does the purpose first arise? How long should it persist?

3. What was Aristotle's classification of the ends of speaking? What is the value of this classification?

4. Can you give Campbell's classification? What do you think of it? Assuming it correct in general theory, could you improve on the classification he gives?

5. What do we mean by the elements used in constructing a speech?

6. What part does an element play in carrying out the purpose of the speaker?

7. Should the speaker have his purpose clearly formulated? Why?

8. In preparing his message for the purpose of accomplishing his end, what two general considerations move the speaker?

9. What do you think of the Phillips selection? How do you like the style? How does it compare with that of Patrick Henry? Which reflects the greater culture?

10. Can you make a rough classification of purposes? Try it. 11. What are the steps in method procedure in preparing a speech, with the purpose as the guide?

12. Can men be classified according to emotional response? according to intellectual attainments?

13. Is an audience homogeneous, or are the individual characteristics widely divergent? What effect has this on the accomplishment of the speaker's purpose?

14. Should the speaker always state his purpose clearly to the audience? Why?

LESSON 20

THE EXPRESSIVE VOICE

With the exception of the rules for posture and breathing in Lesson 7, we have not discussed elocution, a subject which takes account of the expressive powers of the voice in speech. We have paid more attention to psychological aspects such as the organization of ideas, the gathering of material, the clear grasp of details, and methods of impressing all these things upon the audience. Now we wish to add that the mere selection of proper words in certain groupings will not bring the greatest success with an audience. The voice must be used effectively to get the best results. It is possible to spoil the most beautiful composition by poor vocal expression, harsh tones, and monotony. One must lend to the wisdom of the mind the beauty of the voice. In this lesson we shall consider what the voice adds to the message. The lesson may be regarded as a continuation of number seven; and it would be well for the student to review the advice given there before taking up this new matter.

Excellence of posture and breathing will insure a good habitual tone of voice. In this lesson we shall analyze that voice as a succession of constantly varying sounds, and we shall explain the expressional effects of those variations. We assume, at the outset, that the student has developed a good normal tone-that he stands correctly, has complete control of his breathing, and speaks with throat well relaxed. He has no constriction any

where and all the operations of sound production are easy, natural, full, and strong.

The sounds which follow one another in speech are produced much like the notes of a wind instrument of the horn group. They have certain distinguishable characteristics. In the first place each has a recognizable quality, and they come forth at a more or less rapid rate; while each has a definite pitch and force. As we listen to the sounds of a man speaking, we notice changes in quality, rate, pitch, and force. We shall be interested in these possible variations in the tone of the voice and their value in expression.

1. QUALITY

1. Nature. If one were to hear a man talking, in the distance, though the exact words might not be audible, the human voice quality would be unmistakable. The voice could not be mistaken for the cry of an animal. Again, if you were to hear three people with whom you are familiar talking in the next room, and each should repeat the same words after the other, you could say, "Now Smith is speaking; now it is Jones; and now it is Brown." There is an individual quality which distinguishes each man's voice from that of every other man.

2. Physical Basis.-The raw material of every vocal sound which has quality, is an indefinite murmur made by the vocal cords. These cords are like little cushions or lips pressed together in the larynx (voice box or Adam's apple). As the air comes up the windpipe from the lungs, they rapidly press together and fly apart thus letting the air pass upward in a series of puffs. At the cords, the sound audible from these puffs is an indefinite murmur or buzzing. It is much like the buzz made by the lips of the player at the mouthpiece of a simple horn. But just as the tube and flaring bell of the horn modify, reinforce, and give quality to the miserable buzz at its

mouthpiece, so also the cavities of the throat, mouth, and nose, give quality or tone to the vocal murmur.

Agents of Resonation:

SCHEME OF VOCAL ORGANS

A-Hard and Fixed-Bones of Skull (B. S-K.), Bones of Nasal Cavity (N. C.), Superior Maxillary or Hard Palate (S. M.), Teeth (D), and Inferior Maxillary or Lower Jaw (I. M.).

B-Soft and Flexible-Ventricle above Vocal Cords (V.), Upper Chamber of Larynx (L.), Epiglottis (E.), Pharynx (Ph.), Soft Palate (P.), Cheeks (Ch.), Tongue (T.), and Lips (L).

Also note C. vocal cords, G. = gullet, Tr. = trachea or windpipe. Cavities are left white.

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The passages through which the sound passes as it is modified in quality, have, in some places, hard and fixed walls, while in other places, the walls are soft and flex

ible. The size and shape of these cavities and the texture of their walls, at the time the sound is being produced, determine the quality. Since the soft and flexible parts can change in size, shape, and texture, it is evident that a man's voice may have different qualities at different times. The human voice therefore has variable quality while that of the simple horn is fixed. On the other hand, the contributions of the hard and fixed parts, tend to preserve a fixed and individual element. We are particularly interested in the possibilities of quality change and what such changes express. This brings us to the mental factors involved.

3. Psychological Basis of Quality Changes.—When one experiences an emotion, an integral part of that emotion is the physical adjustment. Thus in anger, the heart beats faster, the breathing is quick and the muscles grow tense. In joy, there is relaxation, a strong, steady heart beat and depth of breathing. The whole body is affected, being dominated by the emotion in the mind. But of all the parts of the body to respond, one of the most sensitive is the resonation system near and above the vocal cords. The slightest emotion instantly alters the size, shape, and texture of the resonating cavities by action on the soft resonators. In anger there is constriction and tenseness of texture. The tone produced is flat and throaty. It is known as the guttural. When one is inspired by the magnificent and good, there is openness, relaxation, and expansion, and we hear the full, round orotund. In fear we get only a toneless whisper. In great joy, there is resiliency and power as reflected in the brilliant quality-a bugle-like tone.

These are merely types and do not exhaust the list. There are numberless qualities just as there are numberless shades of emotion. Yet no emotion is so slight as not to show in the voice. Even a minor disappointment gives the voice a "hollow ring."