HOW TO SPEAK CORRECT ENGLISH

Correctly spoken English is quite as important as correctly written English. Errors in pronunciation, modulation and general expression are of frequent occurrence, and it sometimes seems that the erroneous utterance of whole classes of words league the tongue and ear against their right use. An improved standard of pronunciation, therefore, is the safest bulwark against a permanent deterioration of our language, as well as a positive influence in advancing individual culture of speech.

Five Fundamental Rules.—The essential steps toward securing the unconscious ability to speak correctly may be set down as follows:

1. To thoroughly study the elementary sounds, and their mode of representation.

2. To observe the current usage of the best speakers with regard to such words as are most liable to be mispronounced.

3. To note the standard of pronunciation and expression of the best dramatic theaters.

4. By forming the habit of frequent reference to the dictionary and learning to interpret at sight the authorized pronunciation.

5. Ample practice in the reading and application of the leading principles of pronunciation that give words their true spoken values.

The Organ of Speech.—The mouth is the organ of speech; and the manner of production of the various sounds is of the first importance in the cultivation of correct pronunciation.

The sound uttered depends upon the form of the mouth. Change the form and you change the sound. Each particular sound is produced from a particular position.

Not more than one sound can be produced from one position of the mouth.

To produce a different sound you must change the position.

Each sound should be clear and precise. There should be no slurring.

The muscles must be under perfect control so that the mouth (lips and tongue included) may readily assume the position necessary for the emission of the required sound.

The proper use of the lips is the great factor in fluent speech.

It is from inability to use or negligence in using the muscles of the organ of speech that Americans are such indifferent linguists and frequently even incapable of distinct utterance of their own language.

The manner of production of the various sounds is of the first importance in the cultivation of correct pronunciation.

Vowels.—Pronounce the following words: moor; meer; merry; marry; mar; more. The whole compass of the mouth is brought into exercise by these words.

The first sound is produced from the lips. The second comes from a point just inside the mouth. The third sound point is farther back still. The last vowel is uttered from the throat.

If the sound a (long) as in bare, fair, is included, we have a scale of seven sounds produced by a gradual opening of the mouth, the sound point receding note by note from the front of the lips to the back of the throat, thus: moor, meer, merry, Mary, marry, mar, more.

In cultured English centers and in some parts of New England, the long sound of ä, No. 4, appears in such words as dance, France, glass, castle, cast, past, grasp, grant, etc.

In pronouncing the four words—meer merry, marry, mar—the mouth is gradually opened. The four separate “sound points” may be clearly recognized.

Repeat slowly:

1	2	3	4
meer	merry	marry	mar
mee	mé	mâ	mä
mee	mé	mâ	mä

O is a single sound. In conversation, however, it usually becomes double, being combined with the sound—oo (as in too, tooth, woo)—thus:

so	is pronounced	so-oo
no	is pronounced	no-oo
go	is pronounced	go-oo

The short o sound is pronounced as in hot, pot, nod, God.

O followed by a double consonant is short:

off	not	awf
office	not	awfice
coffee	not	cawfee
cross, dross, loss, toss

The sound oo unites with the open sound ä to form the double sound in such words as—cow, how, now:

cä-oo	cow
nä-oo	now
dä-oo-n	down
ä-oo-t	out

The sound u is a peculiar combination of at least three sounds. It is really a continued flow from ee to oo.

The letter is pronounced exactly as the word you. Speak the vowel very slowly.

The intermediate sound of û may be represented thus:

u	is	ee-û-oo
duke	is	dee-û-oo-k
tube	is	tee-û-oo-b
mute	is	mee-û-oo-t

The same sounds occur in such words as few, new, mew.

The middle sound is the most important, and the first and last must be cut very short for a good style.

Ru and lu. When u is preceded by r or l, the first portion of the triple sound is omitted and a double vowel sound is heard—the last part also being cut very short.

Consonants.—Speak slowly and pronounce every letter.

Initial Consonants.—Of these only two require special attention:

th and sh followed by r.

Children frequently say:—one, two, free; and grown-up people will speak of—shrimps as srimps.

Examples: three, shrimp; thread, shrill; throat, shrink; thrush, shroud; through, shrew.

Final Consonants.—The slurring or omission of final consonants is a greater fault than the mispronunciation of vowels, for it points directly to carelessness and indolence on the part of the speaker.

R. It is sometimes stated that there is no r sound in English.

In singing the r is always made distinct.

It should also be apparent in conversation. Thus: father and farther are quite distinct. So, too, ma and mar.

The t belongs to the preceding syllable and the words should be pronounced thus: nat-ure, feat-ure, pict-ure, premat-ure, creat-ure, fut-ure, indent-ure, nurt-ure.

The consonant values of w and y are never terminal in a syllable, but are followed in the same syllable by a vowel. In attempting, for phonic practice, to sound either of these consonants apart from its vowel, make it continuous, not abrupt.

H cannot be separated from its accompanying vowel. Pronounce ha, he, hi, ho, hu, hy. Notice that the office of h is to cover the following vowel with breath. It will be seen, on careful examination, that any attempt to sound h alone will result in whispering a vowel with it.

Wh has for its initial sound simply unvocalized breath, poured through the lips placed in position for w. As a whole the digraph is sounded as it would naturally be if the order of the letters were reversed, thus, hw; as, when, while, whip, pronounced hwen, hwile, hwip.

Lisping children and Germans need to carefully observe the sounds of s and th.

The sound of s is formed by forcing unvocal breath between the tip of the tongue and the upper gum.

Th is produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the teeth or against the upper front teeth, and forcing vocal or unvocal breath between the tongue and the teeth. If vocal breath is used, sonant th is heard, as in this; if unvocal breath, then non-sonant th is produced, as in thin—this last is the sound made for s by those who lisp (lithp).

TABLE OF CONSONANTS

Name according to exit of sound			Checks		Spirants, Breathings [13]				Liquids Trills	Nasals
Name according to quality of sound			Tenues Sharp Hard	Mediæ Flat Soft	Sharp Hard		Flat Soft

Or- gan- ic Names	-	Labials	p	b		...		w	...	m
		Labio- dentals	...	...		...		v	...	...
		Dentals	t	d		th in thunder		th in this	l	n
		Palatals	...	...	-	s		z	...	...
						sh	-	j in (Fr.) jour	...	...
						sh	-	s in pleasure	...	...
						ch in church		j in John	r	...
						ch in (Germ.) ich		y in you	...	...
		Gutturals	k, q, c	g in go		ch in Scotch (loch)		g in (Germ.) tage	...	ng

[13] Some of the Breathings are often called Aspirates.

ACCENT OF WORDS

One syllable of every word with two or more syllables receives, in pronouncing, more force than another. This stronger force is called Accent, and the syllable which receives this force is said to be accent´ed.

Marks of Accent.—The primary accent is marked with a firm oblique stroke, thus: ob´ject, object´, discov´er. The secondary accent is marked by a similar but lighter stroke, or sometimes by two light strokes, thus: lem´on-ade´ (or lem´´on-ade´).

Unaccented Vowels.—Every vowel, when under either the primary or the secondary accent, is distinct; that is, the exact sound of the vowel is evident, as short a, long i, broad o, etc. In an unaccented syllable, the vowel sound is sometimes doubtful; in most instances, however, it is not. For instance, a correct speaker says: ăttĕn´tĭve, ăn´ĕcdōte, cōmprēhĕnd´, ăllēgā´tiȯn, chăp´ĕl, prĕs´ent, ĕm´ĭnĕnt, prāi´rĭe, a̤u´dĭĕnce, căl´loŭs.

RULES OF PRONUNCIATION

Rule I.—The letter u should not be sounded as ōō, except when immediately preceded by the sound of r.

Exceptions: sure and its derivatives, also sumac, tulle, hurrah, pugh.

Pronounce rule, fruit, garrulous, ruin, sure, tūne, mūle, institūte, constitūtion, sūture, dūty, lūcid.

Rule II.—A constituting or ending an unaccented syllable is short Italian a.

Examples: cȧnine´, lȧpel´, ȧgain´, ȧlas´, fȧtal´ity, al´kȧli, or´nȧment, pal´ȧtȧble.

When the a of terminal ary or any is immediately preceded by an accented syllable, it has the sound of short Italian a; thus, pri´mȧry, epiph´ȧny.

Rule III.—E or o constituting or ending a syllable is long.

Examples: ēvent, mēmentō, lōcōmōtion, sōciety, nōtōriety, sōbriety, supērior, infērior, thēōries, cōteriē, lōcō-fōcō.

Rule IV.—I constituting or ending an unaccented syllable not initial, is always short, and is usually short even in initial syllables, if unaccented.

Examples: Dĭvide, dĭrect, fĭnance, phĭlosophy, imĭtate, pĭazza, tĭrade, intĭmate, indĭvisĭble, nobilĭty.

In the initial syllables i, bi, chi, cli, cri, pri, tri, however, i is generally long.

Examples: īdea, īdle, īsothermal, bīology, Chīnese, chīrurgery, clīmatic, crīterion, prīmeval, trīangular, trīpod.

Rule V.—E before terminal n should always be silent in participles, and also in most other words.

Examples: given (giv n), taken (tak n), bitten (bit n), broken, spoken, riven, fallen.

But in the following words e must be sounded:

Aspĕn, chickĕn, glutĕn, kitchĕn, lichĕn, lindĕn, martĕn, mittĕn, suddĕn.

It must also be sounded in any word (not a participle) in which terminal en is immediately preceded by l, m, n, or r.

Examples: womĕn, lĭnen, omĕn, barrĕn, Helĕn, Allĕn, Ellĕn, woolĕn, pollĕn.

Rule VI.—E before terminal l should usually be sounded.

Examples: levĕl, bevĕl, novĕl, nickĕl, cancĕl, vessĕl, chapĕl, gravĕl, hovĕl, camĕl, channĕl, kernĕl, Abĕl, Mabĕl, panĕl, modĕl, funnĕl, flannĕl.

But in the following words the e before terminal l must not be sounded:

Betel (bē´tl), chattel (chat´tl), drivel, easel, grovel, hazel, mantel, mussel, navel, ravel, shekel, shovel, shrivel, snivel, swivel, teasel, weasel, and their derivatives.

Rule VII.—In all but the following words, i before terminal l or n must be sounded: devil, evil, weevil, basin, cousin, raisin.

Pronounce Latĭn, satĭn, matĭn, spavĭn, anvĭl, civĭl, cavĭl, councĭl, perĭl, javelĭn, lentĭl, pistĭl, resĭn, fusĭl, coffĭn, codicĭl, axĭl.

Rule VIII.—The eight words, bath, cloth, lath, moth, mouth, oath, path, wreath, and these only, require sonant ths in the plural.

Pronounce moths, paths, truths, oaths, heaths, cloths, baths, laths, deaths, wreaths, mouths, Sabbaths, sheaths, piths, plinths, lengths, widths, depths, breadths, earths, myths, Goths, fourths, breaths.

Rule IX.—O in a final unaccented syllable ending in a consonant, frequently verges toward the sound of short u; as in custom, felon, bigot, bishop, method, carol, Briton. But it has its regular short sound in pentagon, hexagon, octagon, etc.

When, however, the termination on is immediately preceded by c, ck, s or t, the o is commonly suppressed.

Examples: bacon, beacon, beckon, benison, button, cotton, crimson, damson, deacon, garrison, glutton, lesson, mason, mutton, parson, person, poison, prison, reason, reckon, season.

Rule X.—I accented in most words from the French has the sound of long e.

Examples: pĭque, caprĭce, guillotĭne, quarantĭne, routĭne, suĭte, fatĭgue, valĭse, antĭque, Bastĭle, critĭque, palanquĭn, tambourĭne, regĭme (rā-zheem´), cuĭsĭne (kwe-zeen´), unĭque, intrĭgue, magazĭne.

Rule XI.—Ou in most words from the French has the value of ōō, but in Anglo-Saxon words it has the sound of ow, as in cow.

Examples: bouquet, contour, croup; out, bound, sound.

Note.—Ou has also other values, as in soul, rough, adjourn, could, ought, hough (hŏk), trough.

Rule XII.—X followed by an accented vowel, or by an accented syllable beginning with a silent h, has the sound of gz.

Examples: luxu´rious, exam´ple, exhaust´, exhale´, exhib´it, exam´ine, exalt´, exec´utive.

Rule XIII.—The termination tion is always shun, except when it follows the letter s or x, as in question (kwestyun), bastion, combustion.

Examples: notation, completion, equation, relation, suggestion, transition (tranzish´un).

Rule XIV.—The termination sion immediately preceded by an accented vowel is zhun; when not so preceded it is shun.

Examples: expulsion, immersion, mansion, excursion, diversion, explosion, adhesion, delusion.

Rule XV.—C is soft (s) before e, i and y, and hard (k) in other positions.

Examples: ca, ce, ci, co, cu, cy.

Exceptions: c is hard (k) in sceptic and scirrhus; and in the following words it has the sound of z: sacrifice (fīz), sice, suffice, discern, and their derivatives. It is silent in czar, victuals, indict, and their derivatives, and also in the termination scle, as in muscle, corpuscle.

Rule XVI.—G is generally soft (j) before e, i and y, and always hard (g) before other vowels.

Examples: ga, ge, gi, go, gu, gy.

Note.—The exceptions to the rule that g is usually soft before e, i and y are many; but they are nearly all common Anglo-Saxon words, such as get, give, gild, girl, girdle, giddy, foggy, gimlet, geese, gig, giggle, gift, gills, begin, gimp, beget, gird, gear, gizzard.

Rule XVII.—In an accented syllable of any primitive word, a vowel before r followed by a syllable beginning with a vowel or another r has its short sound.

Examples: Ărab, ărabesque, ărid, Ăristotle, Săracen, bĕryl, pĕril, delĭrious, ĭrritate, mĭracle, delĭrium, abhŏrrence, flŏrid, cŏroner, fŏreign, tŭrret, bŭrrow, cŭrry, coŭrage, fŭrrow, py̆rrhic, empy̆real.

Rule XVIII.—N ending an accented syllable has the sound of ng, if immediately followed by hard g or k, or any equivalent of k (c, q, or x).

Examples: co̱ṉ´gress, ga̱ṉ´grene, co̱ṉ´cord, tra̱ṉ´quil, u̱ṉ´cle, a̱ṉ´ger, hu̱ṉ´ger, mo̱ṉ´key, sa̱ṉ´guine, si̱ṉ´gle, cla̱ṉ´gor, exti̱ṉ´guish, bla̱ṉ´ket, twi̱ṉ´kle, co̱ṉ´course, Li̱ṉ´coln.

Exceptions: concrete, penguin, mangrove, Mongol, pancreas, and some others.

Rule XIX.—C, s, or t, when immediately preceded by an accented syllable and followed by e, i or u, has usually the force of sh, and is said to be “aspirated,” as in ocean, nauseate, Asiatic, negotiation.

Rule XX.—In pronouncing the terminal syllables, ble, cle, dle, fle, gle, kle, ple, stle, tle, and zle, no vowel sound is heard. Terminal cre, however, is pronounced kẽr. The combination of any of these terminations with ing forms but one syllable.

Examples: quibbling, doubling, circling, meddling, huddling, ruffling, shuffling, giggling, struggling, pickling, trickling, coupling, rippling, battling, whittling, whistling, jostling, puzzling, muzzling, massacring.

COMMON ERRORS IN PRONUNCIATION

1. Do not pronounce ing like in; as eve´nin for eve´ning, writ´in for writ´ing.

Pronounce the following: Speak´ing, read´ing, talk´ing, walk´ing, stop´ping, smok´ing, suppos´ing, expect´ing, cel´ebrating.

2. Do not pronounce ow like ur or uh; as hol´lur or hol´luh for hol´low, shad´ur or shad´uh for shad´ow.

Pronounce the following: Bor´row, to-mor´row, nar´row, yel´low, fel´low, wid´ow, pil´low, mel´lowing, swal´lowing.

3. Do not pronounce ed like id or ud; as unit´id or unit´ud for unit´ed, provid´id or provid´ud for provid´ed.

Pronounce the following: Rest´ed, resid´ed, decid´ed, regard´ed, exhib´ited, cel´ebrated, excit´ed, delight´ed, support´ed.

4. Do not pronounce ess like iss; as good´niss for good´ness, bold´niss for bold´ness.

Pronounce the following: Hard´ness, bad´ness, harm´less, care´less, clear´ness, ful´ness, seam´stress, host´ess, em´press.

5. Do not pronounce el like il, nor et like it, nor est like ist; as cru´il for cru´el, bask´it for bask´et, for´ist for for´est.

Pronounce the following: Fu´el, du´el, bush´el, yet, get, mark´et, hatch´et, rock´et, rack´et, riv´ulet, hon´est, bold´est, larg´est, small´est, young´est, strong´est.

6. Do not pronounce ent like unt, nor ence like unce; as si´lunt for si´lent, sen´tunce for sen´tence.

Pronounce the following: Pru´dent, de´cent, mo´ment, gar´ment, mon´ument, gov´ernment, superintend´ent, par´liament (par´lĭ-ment), pa´tience, expe´rience, superintend´ence.

7. Do not insert the sound of short u before a final m; as hel´um for helm, chas´um for chasm.

Pronounce the following: Spasm, rhythm, phan´tasm, bap´tism, pa´triotism, elm, film, overwhelm´, worm.

8. Do not give the drawling sound ăōō for ou (i. e. äōō); as căōō for cow, hăōōs for house.

Pronounce the following: How, now, ground, sound, bound, found, town, gown, pound, confound´, around´, astound´.

9. Do not sound sh before r like s; as srub for shrub, srink for shrink.

Pronounce the following: Shred, shrine, shriek, shroud, shriv´el, shrunk´en.

10. Do not sound wh like w; as wen for when, wat for what.

Pronounce the following: Where, wheat, wharf, whale, whine, white, whim´per, whis´per, whip´ping, whit´tle.

11. Do not omit to give the sound of r after a vowel in the same syllable, as in arm, form, etc., not ahm, fawum, etc.

Pronounce the following: Dark, hark, start, chart, are, tar, remark´, course, for, nor, door, floor, lord, hon´or, do´nor, short, support´, report´, pa´per, or´der, horse, purse, warm, alarm´ing, return´ing, reform´ing.

12. Do not add the sound of r to a final vowel or dipthong; as lawr for law, ide´ar for ide´a.

Pronounce the following: saw, draw, paw, claw, pota´to, toma´to, com´ma, Em´ma.

13. Do not shorten the sound of long o in certain words by leaving off its vanishing element ōō.

Pronounce the following: Boat, bone, broke, choke, cloak, colt, comb, dolt, hole, home, home´ly, hope, jolt, load, on´ly, road, rogue, smoke, spoke, spok´en, stone, throat, toad, whole, wrote, yoke, bolster.

14. Do not omit the sound of d when preceded by n; as stan for stand, frenz for friends.

Pronounce the following: Stands, bands, wĭnds, wīnds, depends´, defends´, demands´, blind´ness, grand´mother, grand´father, hand´ful.

15. Do not omit the sound of d in the terminal letters lds; as wīlz for wilds, fēlz for fields.

Pronounce the following: Folds, holds, scolds, builds, scalds, unfolds´, child´s.

16. Do not omit the sound of t when preceded by c hard in the same syllable; as aks for acts, exak´ly for exact´ly.

Pronounce the following: Facts, tracts, com´pacts, inspects´, respects´, inducts´, instructs´, correct´ly, direct´ly, ab´stractly, per´fectly.

17. Do not omit the sound of t in the terminal letters sts; as fis´s for fists, pes´s for pests.

Pronounce the following: Posts, boasts, coasts, hosts, ghosts, accosts´.

18. Do not improperly suppress the vowel sounds in unaccented syllables; as ev´ry for ev´er-y, his´try for his´to-ry.

Pronounce the following: Belief´, crock´ery, fam´ily, fa´vorite, des´perate, des´olate, nom´inative, mis´ery, li´brary, sal´ary, com´pany, com´fortable, perfum´ery, mem´ory, vic´tory, slip´pery, part´iciple, sev´eral, bois´terous.

19. Do not suppress the sound of e or of i before l or n in those words in which it should be articulated; as lev´l for lev´el, civ´l for civ´il, kitch´n for kitch´en, Lat´n for Lat´in.

Pronounce the following: Trav´el, nov´el, bar´rel, par´cel, hov´el, chap´el, quar´rel, sor´rel, pen´cil, chick´en, lin´en, sud´den, mit´ten, sat´in.

20. Do not sound e or i before n or l in those words in which it is properly silent; e´ven for e´vn, heav´en for heav´n, ba´sin for ba´sn, haz´el for ha´zl, e´vil for e´vl.

Pronounce the following: Ha´ven, sev´en, gold´en, o´pen, short´en, wood´en, wak´en, wid´en, fro´zen.

21. After r, ch, or sh do not give the sound of long u when the simple sound of oo (long or short) should be heard; as rule for rool, fruit, for froot.

Pronounce the following: True, truth, grew, chew, sure, sug´ar, tru´ly, crew, brute, bru´tal, rude, through, cru´el, ru´by, ru´bicund.

22. Do not substitute the sound oo for that of long u; as toon for tune, doo´ty for du´ty.

Pronounce the following: Tube, duke, mute, nude, mu´sic, Tues´day, du´bious, lute, blue, illume´, illude´, in´stitute.

23. The vowel a, when unaccented, at the end of a word has the sound of ä (as in far) somewhat shortened; as com´ma not com´mĭ nor commā.

Pronounce the following: Dra´ma, da´ta, pi´ca, so´fa, al´gebra, Chi´na, Amer´ica, dilem´ma, mi´ca, alpac´a, a´rea, neb´ula.

24. Give to the vowel a in the unaccented terminal syllables al, ant, ance, its short sound, but do not make it prominent.

Pronounce the following: Na´tional, par´tial, fi´nal, eter´nal, ig´norant, ty´rant, in´stant, fla´grant, vig´ilance, ig´norance, in´stance, fra´grance.

25. Do not give to the vowel a (as in far), when unaccented and made brief, the sound of short u; as ŭbase´ for abase´, ŭrouse for arouse´.

Pronounce the following: Abound´, abate´, above´, about´, abridge´, amuse´, fanat´ic, ag´gravate, traduce´.

26. Do not give to long e, when unaccented and slightly abridged, the sound of short u; as ŭvent´ for event´, soci´ŭty for soci´ety.

Pronounce the following: Emo´tion, vari´ety, sobri´ety, sati´ety, anxi´ety, impi´ety.

27. Do not give to long o, when unaccented and slightly abridged, the sound of short u; as ŭbey´ for obey´, prŭpose´ for propose´.

Pronounce the following: Opin´ion, obe´dience, provide´, promote´, provoke´, pota´to, tobac´co, posi´tion, soci´ety, el´oquence, disposi´tion, mel´ody, composi´tion.

28. Do not sound short o, when unaccented, as short u; as ŭbscure´ for obscure´, cŭmmit´tee for commit´tee.

Pronounce the following: Observe´, oppose´, command´, conceal´, condi´tion, contain´, content´, possess´.

29. Do not lay too much stress on an unaccented syllable or a syllable having a secondary accent; as pri´ma´ry for pri´mary, ex´act´ly for exact´ly.

Pronounce the following: Gigan´tic, precise´ly, salva´tion, loca´tion, vaca´tion, ter´ritory, sec´ondary, mat´rimony, prom´issory, vac´cinated.

30. In unaccented syllables do not bring out the quality of the vowel too distinctly.

In many words, “there would be pedantry in scrupulously avoiding the short and easier sounds which the organs are inclined to adopt.” For instance, cab´bage in common conversation might be cab´bij, pal´ace, pal´ăs, etc.

a. When a at the end of an unaccented syllable is followed in the next syllable by n or r, it has nearly the sound of short e, as in mis´cel-la-ny, cus´tom-a-ry.

b. In the unaccented final syllable ate, of adjectives and nouns, the vowel a generally has a sound verging toward short e, as in del´i-cate, con-sum´mate (adj.).

EXPRESSION

Speak firmly; take time. Articulate clearly; do not slur.

Correct pronunciation: requires—1. Exact vowel sounds. 2. Distinct terminal consonants.

Read just as you would speak under the same circumstances, so that if you could be heard without being seen, it would be impossible to tell whether you were reading or talking.

Avoid a monotone. Dull repetition of words in the same pitch is disagreeable. Enter into the spirit of what you read, and give expression to your natural feeling.

The simplest way to emphasize a word is to pause after it. The word may be spoken a little louder or may be pronounced more slowly than the other words in the sentence.

When speaking in public, address the person standing just behind the back row.

INFLECTION OF THE VOICE

Rising inflection is used in incomplete thought, or thought carried through consecutive phrases. It is used to express emotion, surprise, prayer.

Falling inflection denotes complete thought. It expresses command, authority.

The voice has three pitches:—upper, middle, lower.

The upper register is the medium for the expression of excitement and earnestness. It must be used with care and artistic moderation, otherwise it is unpleasant.

Use it rarely. Be careful of straining the voice.

The middle register is used in familiar speaking, and general conversation. It is the most durable, and is the vehicle for everyday use.

The lower register is suited to grave, solemn, impassioned utterances. It should be used cautiously. Practice will mellow the voice.