
Speaking With Skill
An Introduction to Knight-Thompson Speech Work
Dudley Knight(Author)
Methuen Drama (Publisher)
Published on 2. August 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
344 pages
978-1-4081-5689-6 (ISBN)
Description
Actors and other professional voice users need to speak clearly and expressively in order to communicate the ideas and emotions of their characters - and themselves. Whatever the native accent of the speaker, this easy communication to the listener must always happen in every moment, onstage, in film or on television; in real life too.
This book, an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork, gives speakers the ownership of a vast variety of speech skills and the ability to explore unlimited varieties of speech actions - without imposing a single, unvarying pattern of "good speech". The skills gained through this book enable actors to find the unique way in which a dramatic character embodies the language of the play. They also help any speaker to communicate to a listener with total intelligibility without compromising the speaker's own accent; and to vary speech actions to meet different language needs.
Supporting audio provides 116 tracks illustrating the exercises described in the book.
This book, an introduction to Knight-Thompson Speechwork, gives speakers the ownership of a vast variety of speech skills and the ability to explore unlimited varieties of speech actions - without imposing a single, unvarying pattern of "good speech". The skills gained through this book enable actors to find the unique way in which a dramatic character embodies the language of the play. They also help any speaker to communicate to a listener with total intelligibility without compromising the speaker's own accent; and to vary speech actions to meet different language needs.
Supporting audio provides 116 tracks illustrating the exercises described in the book.
Reviews / Votes
Dudley Knight is one of the most respected voice and speech teachers in North America and highly regarded internationally. -- Janet Madelle Feindel, Professor of Voice and Alexander, Carnegie Mellon University, and author of The Thought Propels the Sound Knight's clear writing and the accompanying audio files make for an engaging independent learning experience ... I fully expect that Dudley Knight's excellent new book will become the dominant text in the speech classes of American acting conservatories in the years to come. Though the book challenges conservative traditions in actor training, the skills readers/students acquire through its processes are invaluable and essential. * Voice and Speech Review *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Line art
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
398 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4081-5689-6 (9781408156896)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dudley Knight is Professor Emeritus of Drama at the University of California, Irvine, USA. An award-winning actor and director, he has written - and been written about - extensively in journals and books regarding voice and speech issues. He was Editor-in-Chief of A World of Voice; and has trained many leading voice and speech faculty in major professional theatre programs.
Content
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Making Sounds
1 Silence
2 The space that shapes sound
3 From silence to sound
4 The muscles that shape sound: the tool kit
5 "Phthong" shaping
6 Obstruents: obstructing the flow
Part 2: Finding Language
7 Exploring the limits: Outlandish
8 Obstruents within language
9 The physical actions of obstruents in language
10 The empty obstruent chart
11 Making your own language
An interlude: a daily articulation warm-up
Part 3: Phonetics
12 Writing it down
13 Writing the consonants
14 Sound to word
15 Writing the vowels
16 American vowel phonemes
17 New vowels for diphthongs
18 All the vowel phonemes
19 Combinations
20 Mid-central offglide diphthongs
21 Polysyllabic words
22 Connected speech
Part 4: The skills of intelligibility
23 Formal and informal speech
24 Consonant skills
25 Vowel skills
26 Putting it all together
Index
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Making Sounds
1 Silence
2 The space that shapes sound
3 From silence to sound
4 The muscles that shape sound: the tool kit
5 "Phthong" shaping
6 Obstruents: obstructing the flow
Part 2: Finding Language
7 Exploring the limits: Outlandish
8 Obstruents within language
9 The physical actions of obstruents in language
10 The empty obstruent chart
11 Making your own language
An interlude: a daily articulation warm-up
Part 3: Phonetics
12 Writing it down
13 Writing the consonants
14 Sound to word
15 Writing the vowels
16 American vowel phonemes
17 New vowels for diphthongs
18 All the vowel phonemes
19 Combinations
20 Mid-central offglide diphthongs
21 Polysyllabic words
22 Connected speech
Part 4: The skills of intelligibility
23 Formal and informal speech
24 Consonant skills
25 Vowel skills
26 Putting it all together
Index