Consonants have tremendous Musical Values that often
go undiscovered in untrained speakers. Realizing these musical values
makes your speech more sonorous and more persuasive. For the ESL
student they are important keys to gaining American rhythm patterns
and intonations. For example, learning to sustain the legato qualities
in the "N" and the "M" is very pleasing and musical,
and brings forth a fullness to your speech. For speakers from countries
where the native language is spoken in a more staccato rhythm, the
very act of just lengthening their "N's" and "M's"
will alter their overall tempo-rhythm. The results will be much
closer to the music of American speech.
Critically acclaimed Animations introduce each of the consonants.
Animations
show: Tongue Movement and Points of Contact for Feeling or Vibration.
Introduced here, is the Voiced 'N'.
Yellow
indicates where Vibration is felt, in the Tongue Blade, Upper
Gumridge, Nose Bone,
and Vocal Cords.
N
Word List
GREEN
letters are Legato or Sustainable Consonants. Green for "Go".
N Sentences
1)
Playing the Consonants for Full Musical Value
Repeat:
2) Using the Consonants to Support the Meaning
Animation
for D
Play
this D drumbeat on the springing away of the tongue from
the upper gumridge. Feel a pulsation in the tongue.
D
Word List
RED
letters are Staccato or Plosive Consonants. Red for "Stop".
D Sentences
1)
Playing the Consonants for Full Musical Value
Repeat:
2) Using the Consonants to Support the Meaning
Animation
for GD
Still
picture at Right, shows the
first drumbeat G,
which will move into a
second drumbeat D.
GD
Word List
Feel
each drumbeat as a separate event.
Feel the double tap-tap.
GD Sentences
1)
Playing the Consonants for Full Musical Value
Repeat:
2) Using the Consonants to Support the Meaning
A
Black Background Title Card
separates each segment in the program,
for easy indexing.
