THE VOWEL SOUNDS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5021, 1 September 1926, Page 3

THE VOWEL SOUNDS.

“ SHAMEFULLY NEGLECTED.”

A JUDGE’S COMMENTS.

Interesting remarks, regarding correctness of speech were made at the Competitions festival at Gisborne by the elocution judge (Mr Farquhar Young). The. judge told the competitors aftid the audience that correctness of speech was a refinement without affectation which could not be counterfeited by the common mind. ,The voice was. a pulse which responded to the feelings and ejmOtions- of -the;speaker, and the quality of the voice showed the mind and environment of the speaker. During Saturday’s, and part of Friday’s sessions he had -heard some, exceedingly bad vo.w'el sounds, and the short “e” sound was shamefully neglected.

If some of the competitors, would take the troublei to learn the Maori vowels they would be able to detect the short vowels in the English language. The short “u” was almost invariably substituted for the short “e,” with the result that wordsi such as“sacred” were pronounced “sacrud.” The. correct use of the short vowels could be secured by remembering tha,t the shoaft “a," was as in “at,” “e” as in “egg,” "i” as in "in,” "o” as in “on,” and “u” as in “up.” Competitors should isolate the vowel sounds and practise them until the e,ar was taught. The final consonants were also badly murdered, and. it should be remembered tha,t the organs of articulation were the tongue, the. teeth, and the lips.