CHAPTER XIV

 

DISTINCTNESS AND PRECISION OF UTTERANCE

 

In man speaks God.

 

--HESIOD, _Words and Days_.

 

And endless are the modes of speech, and far Extends from side to side the field

of words.

 

--HOMER, _Iliad_.

 

In popular usage the terms "pronunciation," "enunciation," and "articulation"

are synonymous, but real pronunciation includes three distinct processes, and

may therefore be defined as, _the utterance of a syllable or a group of

syllables with regard to articulation, accentuation, and enunciation_.

 

Distinct and precise utterance is one of the most important considerations of

public speech. How preposterous it is to hear a speaker making sounds of

"inarticulate earnestness" under the contented delusion that he is telling

something to his audience! Telling? Telling means communicating, and how can he

actually communicate without making every word distinct?

 

Slovenly pronunciation results from either physical deformity or habit. A