Enhance and enrich your knowledge of how to avoid nasality

Enhance and enrich your knowledge of how to avoid nasality

How to Avoid Nasality

Key Concept: Cultivate full, rich tones.

In the United States one of the most common faults in speaking is nasality—”speaking through the nose,” as it is commonly called.
As a matter of fact, nasality is caused by not speaking through the nose. Take your thumb and finger, hold the nostrils tightly closed, and say this sentence aloud: “Well, now, I’m glad you’ve come down to town.”
You will find that closing your nostrils entirely in this way makes you speak in the dialect and tone often ascribed to up-state farmers.
Nasality is caused by the accidental or habitual stopping of the nostrils. If your voice is nasal in tone, practise breathing through your nose.
Open your mouth more widely than usual when you speak.
Make an effort to throw the voice forward in full, rich tones.
When you are practising to avoid nasality, think of a great, round ball when you speak. Think of it so clearly that you can see it. Say this line over and over in as full, round tones as possible: “Oh, the round, round ball, it rolls and rolls around in the merry morn!”
Then think of a gigantic cannon filling the air with sound. Say aloud in full tones: “Boom! boom! boom! came from the mighty cannon’s mouth!”
Make a firm resolve that you will not speak in nasal tones like a farmer. Train your ear to notice richness and fullness of sound in the speech of others, and try to imitate the most effective speech.
Practice:
1. Say the following words, giving your speech all possible resonance:
Clang! clang! clang! boomed the great gong.
2. Repeat the following, holding the sound as long as possible:
To whoo! To whooo! To whoooo!
3. Make a long humming sound as you say the following :
Hummm, hummm, hummm, buzzed the bumble bee around the king.