Listening to American radio, the number of mispronunciations one hears repeatedly on reports and advertisements is incalculable. Here is a list of things uttered during three hours, on one radio station, by people around the country who are paid to speak professionally:
Fermiliar instead of "familiar"
Owun rather than "on"
Pundant instead of "pundit"
Riudoso for "Ruidoso"
Re-unch rather than "ranch"
Dat cam instead of "dot com"
Studint for "student"
Nershree instead of "nursery"
I don't understand people who read advertising copy--so-called "voice-over artists"--being allowed to make a mockery of the language they're attempting to speak. These "professionals" are paid and played nation-wide. Obviously the blind are leading the blind, and they are both falling into the ditch. There is no quality-control in broadcasting, and certainly the industry is devoid of standards. Mispronunciations are now nearly mainstream, thus few listeners are able to discern them from the original words. Is Broadcast English dead? It sure smells that way.
Stop, look and listen, and you will neither read nor hear a "who"!
It's always "people that" now, where before, it was "people who".
One person who NEVER says "who" (unless asking a question) is a man who is on both radio and T.V., named Sean H. He is always talking about "someone that", no matter what, rather than "someone who"!
This is a symptom of the dehumanization of mankind. Who? The men, women, and children, that's who!
Sometimes it seems that only Horton hears a who*!
*A book entitled Horton Hears a Who was written by Dr. Suess. At least Horton was an elephant....
Two of the smoothest voices of all time: Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, a great lady who had the voice of an angel.
Recently, I wrote an editorial lamenting the sad state of women's voices. It is entitled, "Gals are Growling: What Gives?"(The article is reprinted at the bottom of this page.) In it, I recommend that today's women listen to yesterday's smooth-talking ladies in movies. Today's voices often sound like trombones filled with cottage cheese, rather than like euphonious flutes. Listening to current newscasts, television shows and advertisements from American media will demonstrate this to the conscious listener, whereas in previous decades, women spoke without lowering their voices to gravelly, guttural levels. There are many examples of smooth-voiced, elegant women from the past, and here are two of them:
The Elegant, Dignified Loretta Young Reads in a Melodious Voice ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫
A mature Joan Fontaine explains Bufferin's good qualities, in a voice that has gravitas without the gravel.
Posted at Elegant Survival by M-J de Mesterton on September 28, 2010 at 4:49 PM
Every time I am exposed to radio or television--and that isn't often--I am puzzled by a new trend in women's speech. If one has never ceased monitoring popular U.S. broadcasting outlets, entertainment and media advertising, it may not be apparent to them. Being in the habit of avoiding American pop-culture--and only occasionally witnessing the stuff--like Rip van Winkle, I have suddenly awakened in a world that has changed drastically. Women, especially those under fifty, are chirping their sentences like Valley Girls, and culminating them in a very fatigued, strained-sounding growl. This guttural sound is not feminine, and I don't know whence its inspiration, nor whom they are attempting to emulate. Listening to a paragraph spoken by one of these hapless victims of fashion is like travelling ten miles of bad gravel-road.
There is a better way to speak, which simply involves modulating one's voice in a soft tone all the way to the end of each sentence, leaving that grating growl to the dogs and to your male counterparts. Men really don't think it's sexy. I've heard gents describe this new manner of female-speaking in the most unflattering of terms. For examples of attractive feminine speech, old movies are instructive. Even Lauren Bacall didn't do the gritty, guttural growl. This new way of talking must have been in fashion for quite some time while I "slept," because it takes a concerted effort to put into effect--in fact, some of us find it impossible to imitate. Maintaining a pleasant and natural tone, terminating your phrases with a definite stop instead of an audible question-mark, is a winning habit. Dragging the last syllable out longer than those in the rest of the sentence is bad diction, and ought to be avoided. I don't like to preach--leave that to other writers. That said, I occasionally feel the need to make a suggestion. Mocking some pop-tart who is piled-out on coke, booze and cigarettes is a losing proposition in any facet of your life, so it would be good for you girls to get the gravel out of your gullets, and start sounding like real women again!
If you are visiting this page, it is likely that you believe in the importance of language and elocution. Join the club! The inspiration for this page was the current trend of people to growl when they speak, most notably during their delivery of a last sentence of a paragraph, or the last few syllables of a sentence or word. Here, you will find examples of elegant speech, typified by a controlled voice that does not grate upon the auditory sense. I will post videos in which those featured are speaking clearly in moderated tones. These clips will include the occasional contemporary speaker, and more frequently I will choose mellifluous voices from the past, when those who were presented to communicate publicly adhered to traditional standards of proper elocution. Listening to our fellow human beings ought to be a pleasant experience rather than evoking images of the proverbial fingernail streaking down a chalkboard. Broadcasting standards no longer exist, but with our efforts here at Vocal Elegance, we may be able to effect a positive change.
