The Adelphi College

Speech and Theater Arts

Vocal Qualities

I. YOUR VOICE MACHINE

1. Motor – respiratory muscles – general region of the diaphragm responsible for

regulation, expulsion and control of air.
2. Vibrator – vocal bands or cords to produce sound waves through vibrations of
air.
3. Resonators – nose, mouth throat. Modulate sound waves thus giving resonance
(production of sound by proper breathing).
4. Articulators – Give definite shapes and character of sounds as air passes though
the mouth or nose, lips, teeth, tongue, upper gums, lower jaw, hard palate, and
uvula.

II. PITCH AND INFLECTION

Pitch- is the highness or lowness of a person’s voice.

Pitch - Location of the sound on the musical scale and is determined by the tension
applied to the tone-producing mechanism – the vocal chords

Ups and Downs

Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t speak to me in that tone”? What he
really means is “Don’t speak to me with that inflection”.

III. Tone Color

 Tone color is the result of the speaker’s mental and emotional response to what he
is saying.

“The expression of emotional changes is brought about in everyday speech by

unmistakable changes in voice quality, except in everyday speech of lazy, stupid or
monotonous speakers. The fundamental emotions of love, anger, fear, and sorrow,
at least are within the expressible range of nearly everyone, though perhaps the
appropriate vocal qualities cannot be summoned on demand”.

IV. ARTICULATION

Clarity of Speech

Articulation - The formation of clear and distinct sounds in speech.

If your speech sounds are indistinct, slurred, half-swallowed, clipped short, muffled,
or mumbled, then you need to practice enunciation.

Enunciation - is the act of pronouncing words.

Enunciation depends on four factors:

 Jaw
 Lips
 Tongue
 Teeth
 Care of the Voice

1. Avoid strain. When others speak too loudly, don’t try to drown out their voices
with your own. Get attention by some mechanical means, such as rapping the
table, then speak with quiet emphasis.
2. If you must smoke, do so only moderately.
3. If you have a cold that has affected your chest, speak as little as possible. The
strain may cause nodes (callouses), resulting in permanent hoarseness.
4. Don’t clear throat by force. Try panting to remove the phlegm. Keep your voice
vital or animated. A vital voice has a life. A vital voice will keep you vital.

Submitted by: Donita Rose E. Leyva

(BSED in ENGLISH)

Submitted to: Ms. Jules Mapanao

(Instructress)