What is Intelligibility?
When an actor works in a large space, there are at least two major concerns: can we hear her, and can we understand her. Being audible is one thing. Being intelligible is quite another. Today actors are called upon to …
Tag: Speech
R You Speedy?
In my last post, we covered the similarities and differences between bunched /r/ and apical /r/, made with the back of the tongue and the front of the tongue respectively. The front /r/ we called an apical /r/ because it …
Really Larry: R and L
/r/ and /l/ are two of the more “difficult” consonants in English. Many non-native speakers struggle with these sounds, as they are not part of their first language. There are many variations of these sounds, so in this step we’ll …
Chopping and Linking
Chopping and Linking Words that begin with vowels pose a challenge to actors. How to speak these sounds? When anything begins with a vowel, there is a tendency to initiate the sound with a glottal attack. This is done by …
Tempo: Dragging, Slow, Medium, Fast, and Rushing
“Faster, Louder, Funnier”: Actors often joke about how directors of comedies really only have one note. And part of that note has to do with tempo, the rate at which the actors speak. And more often than not, the demand …
Tempo: Dragging, Slow, Medium, Fast, and Rushing Read more »