Improve Your Enunciation
Watch out for your plosives! Many North Americans are guilty of swallowing consonants that appear in the middle or at the end of words. The Public Speaker has more on enunciation.
Lisa B. Marshall
For many North Americans, plosive sounds like /d/, /t/, /b/, and /p/ are a common enunciation problem. You need to be sure you say them so that they end with a small burst of air and there is a very brief stop in the flow of speech. Most people do OK when plosives start a word like “cheese” or “please.” The problem comes when those sounds are in the middle or at the end of the word.
In a recent episode I was guilty of swallowing the /t/ sound in the middle of a word. I said “senence” instead of “sentence.” When you have several plosives in one word, usually the biggest problem is with the sounds at the end.
There’s definitely a continuum of acceptable articulation, even among broadcasters. Some prefer tight, crisp speech, while others prefer a more relaxed approach with some blending of sounds. You don’t want to draw attention. You just want to say it correctly; otherwise, you’ll sound pedantic. (And, yes, I picked that word because it has three plosives. Try saying it now.)
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.