The Importance of Articulation – The Gift of Gab (2024)

The Importance of Articulation – The Gift of Gab (1)

Articulation is defined as the formation of clear and distinct sounds in speech. Unless you’re still speaking with the Transatlantic accent of the 30s and 40s, there’s a very good chance you do not articulate your words flawlessly. And that’s okay! Everyday speech has become very lax and casual – it’s not out of the ordinary to use slang words and misarticulate phrases like want to (wanna) or don’t know (dunno). However, articulation is incredibly important during a speech delivery. I always try to remind my students that their speeches don’t come with subtitles. An audience doesn’t have a pause button. They cannot rewind and play back a speech for clarity. That’s why it’s so important to articulate every word as clearly as possible – your voice is the channel for your message. If your audience cannot understand you, your message gets lost. Similarly, I tell my students to speak as if every person in the audience is a non-native English speaker. While native English speakers could grasp a poorly articulated let me (lemme), a non-native English speaker may not be able to comprehend what “lemme” means in English.

Here’s a little exercise that exemplifies the importance of articulation. Take out a pen and paper and listen to Post Malone’s songRich & Sad.Try to write down the song’s lyrics word-for-word, particularly of the first verse and hook. When you’ve finished writing down the lyrics, read the official Genius lyrics. How far off were you? (Comment below!) I guarantee that before reading the actual lyrics you did not understand everything Post Malone was saying, and you probably didn’t fully grasp the message ofRich & Sad.From the title you can gauge that Post Malone is rich and sad, but after reading the lyrics, you can tell the song is a sad, love song about Post Malone losing his lover despite having so much money, something I didn’t fully realize until I read the lyrics. Since live speeches don’t come with transcripts, it’s important to not articulate like Post Malone, and form the clearest sounds possible.

Take a listen to a summary of this post – I articulate my words clearly and distinctly.

Post Malone 2018” by Toglenn is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

The Importance of Articulation – The Gift of Gab (2024)

FAQs

Why is it important to be articulate? ›

Being articulate means having the ability to express yourself clearly and effectively, both in speech and in writing. The benefits of being articulate are vast, ranging from improved relationships and networking opportunities to increased confidence and enhanced problem-solving abilities.

What is the significance of articulation? ›

Articulation, or diction, is what helps the listener not just hear the spoken word but also understand it. Articulation is how clearly the speaker pronounces words. When some sounds are slurred together or dropped out of a word, the word may not be understood by the audience.

Why is the manner of articulation important? ›

Manner of articulation in second language learning is important, because pronunciation doesn't come as naturally as when learning our first language. It's important to know how sounds are made so that you can pronounce sounds correctly and speak more clearly.

What is the importance of articulatory? ›

Articulatory phonetics is important because it is vital for linguists to understand spoken communication between persons. This is how they analyze words that are used in any given social context. The sound is emitted from the lungs that create utterances, hence creating words and sentences.

What is the power of articulation? ›

Articulation is a powerful tool that dramatically impacts how we communicate and navigate the world. It can make an individual more competent and accurate in their pursuits. In the context of speech, articulation refers to the ability to express oneself clearly and effectively.

What are the characteristics of an articulate person? ›

Here are some behaviors your articulate character may exhibit.
  • Listening actively and responding thoughtfully.
  • Using precise and clear language to express thoughts and ideas.
  • Speaking with confidence and conviction.
  • Using appropriate tone and inflection to convey meaning.
  • Avoiding filler words such as "um" or "like".
Dec 2, 2023

How to become articulate? ›

Here are nine steps you can take to improve your articulation:
  1. Listen to yourself speak. To help you improve your speaking, record yourself speaking. ...
  2. Check your speed. ...
  3. Watch for unnecessary words. ...
  4. Use pauses effectively. ...
  5. Practice pronunciation. ...
  6. Vary your pitch. ...
  7. Speak at the right volume. ...
  8. Develop confidence.
Feb 3, 2023

What does verbally articulate mean? ›

: expressing oneself readily, clearly, and effectively.

What is another term for articulation? ›

delivery enunciation expression pronunciation saying speaking statement talking utterance verbalization vocalization voicing. articulation (noun as in connection) Strong matches. coupling hinge joining joint junction juncture unification union.

What are the three manners of articulation? ›

Types of Manner of Articulation
Manner of articulationHow it is created
PlosiveA short, quick release of air after closed stricture.
FricativeClose stricture that creates friction when air is released.
AffricateStart with producing a plosive and blending immediately into a fricative.
2 more rows

What is an example of articulation? ›

Examples of articulation errors include substituting one sound for another (e.g., saying wed for red), or leaving out sounds (e.g., nana instead of banana). Another type of articulation disorder is distortion of the “s” sound, also known as a lisp.

Why is articulation important in the workplace? ›

Articulation skills are crucial to convey ideas effectively, to build trust within team and with internal and external stakeholders. It also helps avoid any miscommunications/misunderstandings.

What is the most important articulator? ›

The tongue is the most important articulator of speech. This muscle is extremely strong, as it must move food around in our mouths as we chew.

Which organ is the most important articulator of speech? ›

An organ which is most important articulator of speech is the tongue.

What is articulatory problem? ›

Articulation disorders

If your child has an articulation disorder, they: have problems making sounds and forming particular speech sounds properly (e.g. they may lisp, so that s sounds like th) may not be able to produce a particular sound (e.g. they can't make the r sound, and say 'wabbit' instead of 'rabbit').

What is the manner of articulation How is it important to the production of sounds? ›

In articulatory phonetics, the manner of articulation is the configuration and interaction of the articulators (speech organs such as the tongue, lips, and palate) when making a speech sound. One parameter of manner is stricture, that is, how closely the speech organs approach one another.

Why is it important to have proper pronunciation and articulation in delivering a speech? ›

Speakers should use proper articulation and pronunciation to make their message clear. Interruptions to the fluency of a speech, including fluency hiccups and verbal fillers, detract from the speaker's message and can lessen a speaker's credibility.

How does place and manner of articulation affect the production of language? ›

We can produce different types of consonants, depending on two major factors. One is the degree of obstruction to the airflow, which gives us the manner of articulation of the consonant. The other is the location of the obstruction along the vocal tract, which tells us about the place of articulation of the consonant.

Why is articulation important in vocal delivery? ›

Articulation refers to the clarity of sounds and words we produce. If someone is articulate, they speak words clearly, and speakers should strive to speak clearly. Poor articulation results when speakers do not speak clearly.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Mr. See Jast

Last Updated:

Views: 6082

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mr. See Jast

Birthday: 1999-07-30

Address: 8409 Megan Mountain, New Mathew, MT 44997-8193

Phone: +5023589614038

Job: Chief Executive

Hobby: Leather crafting, Flag Football, Candle making, Flying, Poi, Gunsmithing, Swimming

Introduction: My name is Mr. See Jast, I am a open, jolly, gorgeous, courageous, inexpensive, friendly, homely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.