Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Dynamics of the Singing Voice pp 111–122Cite as

Articulation

  • Chapter

  • 179 Accesses

Abstract

Singing is a unique way of communicating the ideas and emotions of writers and poets. The performer who cannot articulate the words of a song so that they are understood has defeated the whole purpose of his art (unless he is singing one of the rare songs without words). The specific way of articulating sounds varies from language to language. Therefore a careful study of all the languages to be sung is important, especially since no one cares to hear his own language pronounced poorly, even by foreigners. In addition, since movements of articulatory structures like the tongue, lower jaw, soft palate and lips directly influence the shape of the resonator, faulty diction and inefficient articulation inevitably impoverish tonal quality.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Abercrombie D (1967) Elements of general phonetics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Assman PF, Nearey T, Hogan J (1982) Vowel identification: orthographic, perceptual and acoustic aspects. J Acoust Soc Am 71: 975–989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atal BS (1983) Speech coding: recognising what we do not hear in speech. Ann NY Acad Sci 405: 18–32.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baer T, Gore JC, Boyce S, Nye PW (1987) Application of MRI to the analysis of speech production. Magn Reson Imaging 5(1): 1–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baer T, Gore JC, Gracco LC, Nye PW (1991) Analysis of vocal tract shape and dimensions using magnetic resonance imaging: vowels. J Acoust Soc Am 90 (2, Pt 1): 799-828.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bairstow EC, Greene HP (1945) Singing learned from speech. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benson D (1972) Roentgenographic cephalometric study of palatopharyngeal closure of normal adults during vowel phonation. Cleft Palate J 9: 43–50.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Böhme G, Sram F, Kalvodova E (1966) Electromyographic studies on the behavior of the levator and tensor veli paltini muscles during breathing and during phonation of vowels (preliminary report). Folia Phoniatr (Basel) 18: 9–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coffin R Berton (ed) (1964) Phonetic readings of songs and arias. Boulder: Pruett Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crystal D (1981) Clinical linguistics (Disorders of human communication, vol 3). Wien New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dodding J (1979) An intensive course in voice production and speech training (unpublished manuscript).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fucci D, Crary MA, Warren JA, Bond ZS (1977) Interaction between auditory and oral sensory feedback in speech regulation. Percept Mot Skills 45: 123–129.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gattey CN (1979) Queens of song. London: Barrie and Jenkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harshman R, Ladefoged P, Goldstein L (1977) Factor analysis of tongue shapes. J Acoust Soc Am 62(3): 693–707.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henningsson G, Isberg A (1991) A cineradiographic study of velopharyngeal movements for deviant versus non-deviant articulation. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 28(1): 115–117.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • International Phonetic Association (1979) The principles of the International Phonetic Association. London: University College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kent R, Netsell R (1971) Effects of stress contrasts on certain articulatory parameters. Phonetica 24: 23–44.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klatt DH, Stevens KN, Mead J (1968) Studies of articulatory activity and airflow during speech. Ann NY Acad Sci 155: 42–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kockritz H (1965) Language orientation. An introduction to the pronounciation of foreign languages based upon the International Phonetic Alphabet. Cincinnati: Privately published.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn GM (1975) On the front cavity resonance and its possible role in speech perception. J Acoust Soc Am 58: 428–433.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Labov W (1972) Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladefoged P (1962) Elements of acoustic phonetics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladefoged P (1975) A course in phonetics. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leanderson R (1972) On the functional organization of facial muscles in speech. From the Departments of Otolaryngology and Clincal Neurophysiology, Karolinska Sjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenhardt ML, Skellett R, Wang P, Clarke AM (1991) Human ultrasonic speech perception. Science 253(5015): 82–85.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman P (1977) Speech physiology and acoustic phonetics: an introduction. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindeman DE, Moore RN (1990) Measurement of intraoral muscle forces during functional exercises. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 97(4): 289–300.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe AA, Sessle BJ (1973) Tongue activity during respiration, jaw opening and swallowing in cats. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 51: 1009–1011.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lubker JF (1968a) An electromyographic-cinefluorographic investigation of velar function during normal speech production. Cleft Palate J 5: 1–18.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lubker JF, Morris H (1968b) Predicting cinefluorographic measures of velopharyngeal opening from lateral still X-ray films. J Speech Hear Res 11: 747–753.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall M (1953) The singer’s manual of english diction. New York: G Schirmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller R, Schutte H (1981) The effect of tongue position on spectra in singing. The NATS Bull 37: 26–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moon JB, Jones DL (1991) Motor control of velopharyngeal structures during vowel production. Cleft Palate Craniofac J 28(3): 267–273.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moriarty J (1975) Diction. Boston: EC Schirmer Music.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman RA, Emanuel FW (1991) Pitch effects on vowel roughness and spectral noice for subjects in four musical voice classifications. J Speech Hear Res 5: 753.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nittouer S, McGowan RS, Milenkovic PH, Beehler D (1990) Acoustic measurements of men’s and women’s voices: a study of context effects and covariation. J Speech Hear Res 33(4): 761–775.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell G (1928) The vowel, its physiological mechanism as shown by x-rays. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan J (1968) Phonetics and radiology. Australian Radiol 12: 18–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scotto di Carlo N (1979) Perturbing effects of overarticulation in singing. J Res Sing 2: 10–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scripture EW (1906) Researches in experimental phonetics: the study of speech curves. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sovijarvi J (ed) (1962) Proc of the IVth Int Cong of Phonetic Science, Helsinki, September 4-9, 1961. The Hague: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Triplett WM (1967) An investigation concerning vowel sounds on high pitches. NATS Bull 23, 3: 6–8, 50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuller B, Fitch HL (1980) Preservation of vocal tract length in speech. A negative finding. J Acoust Soc Am 67(3): 1068–1070.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uris D (1971) To sing in English. New York: Boosey & Hawkes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wise CM (1957) Applied phonetics. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood S (1986) The acoustical significance of tongue, lip and larynx manoeuvres in rounded palatal vowels. J Acoust Soc Am 80(2): 391–401.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. London, England

    Meribeth A. Bunch Ph.D. (Consultant in Voice)

Authors
  1. Meribeth A. Bunch Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1995 Springer-Verlag Wien

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bunch, M.A. (1995). Articulation. In: Dynamics of the Singing Voice. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-2065-1_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-2065-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-211-82623-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-2065-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation