Powerful and persuasive voices require PRECISE ARTICULATION!
Learn to articulate properly. It is simple and can BE INTERESTING. Tongue
twisters are excellent for sharpening enunciation. They make your lips, jaw, and
tongue EXERCISE and increase your ability to articulate.
Tongue Twisters For: B, P, M, and W
These consonants demand ACTIVE LIPS! Say "Boom". Explode that "b."
Bring those lips down hard, quick, and sharply for B, P, M. For the W, pucker
the lips.
- FOR B: A big black bug bit a big black bear, made a big black bear
bleed.
- FOR P: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper
picked a peck of pickled peppers, where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper
picked.
- FOR M: Military malarkey makes monstrous madmen into maligned martyrs.
- FOR W: If a woodchuck would chuck wood, how much wood would a woodchuck
chuck, if a woodchuck would? But if a woodchuck would chuck wood, how much wood
would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood?
Th (thing) and TH(thou)
Touch the tip of the tongue to the rim of the upper teeth. The tongue tip
should protrude ever so slightly.
- FOR TH: Theophilus Thistle, the thistle sifter, sifted a sieve
of unsifted thistles. If Theophilus the thistle sifter sifted a sieve of unsifted
thistles, where is the sieve of sifted thistles Theophilus the thistle sifter
sifted?
- What dost thou think of those that go thither?
S, Z, and WH
These sounds require extremely tenuous coordination. To pronounce "S" you
raise your tongue, groove it, and arch it toward the hard palate. Force the breath
through the narrow fissure. The same for the "Z"—except it is vocalized. For "Sh"
and "Zh" the fissure is broader. For "Wh" purse the lips as you blow the breath
through the extended fissure.
- FOR S: Suzy Schell sells sea shells on the seashore.
- FOR Z: Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes
amiss. For Moses knowses his toeses aren't roses as Moses supposes.
- FOR WH: What whim led Whitey White to whittle near a wharf where
a whale might wheel and whirl?
T, D, N, L, and R
A lazy TONGUE will get you in trouble with these twisters. The first four
of these consonants are made alike. Your tongue should snap as a whip. The tip
of it should SHARPLY TOUCH the hard palate—just above the upper teeth.
On the R, the entire tongue arches itself along the roof of the mouth—without
touching it.
- FOR T: Thomas Tattertoot took taut twine to tie ten twigs to two
tall trees.
- FOR D: Double bubble gum bubbles double. Non double bubble gum
doesn't bubble double.
- FOR N: A snifter of snuff is enough snuff of a sniff for the snuff-sniffer.
- FOR L: Likeable Lillian loves lovely luminous aluminum linoleum.
- FOR R: Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
F and V
Both F and V are formed by biting lightly the lower inside lip. Say the word
"fife." This is an example.
F is unvocalized and the breath is merely allowed to escape. But V is vocalized.
- FOR F: I never felt felt feel Hat like that felt felt.
- FOR V: Vern Verve is well versed in very wordy verb verse.
H, K, and NG
H is simply made by expiring through the mouth.
K requires the back of the tongue to touch the soft palate. The breath is
then released VERY SHARPLY. G is merely the vocalized form of this sound.
When sounding Ng (sing), again arch the tongue in the same manner. But force
the voice through the nasal passage.
- FOR H: Harry Hugh hid the heel behind the high hill. If Harry Hugh
hid the heel behind the high hill, where is the heel Harry Hugh hid?
- FOR K: Cass Cash can catch a check cashier to cash his un-cashed
check.
- FOR NG: The ringing, swinging, singing singers sang winning songs.
PRACTICE THESE CONTINUALLY" Concentrate on your particular articulation problems.
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