Part A: Vowels and Diphthongs: This Zoom Level 2 Speech course will serve as a five-week, deep-dive, immersive exploration workshop of the International Phonetic Alphabet Vowel Chart. Deepening your awareness of articulatory action, we will explore the entire ‘known universe’ of vowels rounded and unrounded, front, central, and back.
The ability to explore articulatory actions unfamiliar to you, is key to accent acquisition, whether you are utilizing a dialect or accent in a scene, or acquiring a General American accent for everyday usage.
You will also explore the concept of vowel length in Spoken English – a very useful tool for native and non-native speakers of English, alike.
Individual coaching, on speech topics of interest to you, is available in the Zoom space outside of class, as part of this course.
Online teaching statement from instructor Theresa McElwee: “We forge social connections, and make our experience known through language and most especially, through our voices. Much is being asked of us, in this moment. There is an opportunity here, to become more present, more engaged, to reach out with more energy, and with more care. On a more practical level, Voice, Speech and Dialect coaching and teaching is frequently offered online, and so this work is easily accommodated in a virtual space. My aim is to help you fill that space, so that when you emerge, you are an even more powerful actor, with an even greater capacity to make your presence known and your voice heard.”