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FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION

Learning Objectives

When you finish studying the material in this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Define communication. 2. Explain the art of communication. 3. Describe the purpose/function of communication. 4. Discuss the communication process. 5. Answer exercises on the essence of communication and mechanics of speech.

Communication is a basic human activity, an exchange of information and understanding between a sender and a receiver, and the inference (perception) of meaning between the individuals involved. Analysis of this exchange reveals that communication is a two-way process consisting of consecutively linked elements. It involves the speaker who communicates with a particular listener. The written and spoken words are the encoded message in the communication process which turns out to a language understandable to the listener. The encoded word is the output of communication. Using media on how to transmit words into understandable form is an important element in the communication process. Potential media include face-to-face conversations, classroom discussions, speech

The Essence of Communication and Its Process

drills, speech lab exercises, telephone calls, voice mail, debates, speeches, and other oral forms of communication. In the process of communication, decoding is also important. It is the listeners version of encoding. It consists of translating verbal, oral, or visual aspects of a message into a form that can be interpreted. It determines the sound of a spoken word into a meaning during the decoding process. Decoding is a key contributor to misunderstanding particularly on intercultural communication because decoding by the listener is subject to the dialect and language native to the listener which may not be understood by the speaker. Normally, if there is understanding in a communication process, meaning is directly transferred from speaker to listener. The listener then acts according to the intended meaning as in getting the correct sound and interpreting it accurately into spoken media. Once a listener encodes and transmits the medium into accurate written or oral form, the process of communication is interpreted as positive. The process repeats itself when further communication is needed. To give an idea of words are understood and spoken correctly, feedback is used as a comprehension check. Noise is an element in a communication process that affects all linkages in the process. It includes factors such as speech impairment, poor hearing and eyesight, inaccurate sound interpretation, poor speech habits and even physical distance between speaker and listener. These factors can be barriers of effective communication. Exercise 1 TEST YOURSELF ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION A. Read the following words aloud: 65 words found on the text. according affect analysis basic between capture communication comprehension consist direct discussion effective encode encoded essence exchange factors feedback
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intended interpretation introducing involve language listen meaning mechanics media

process purpose receive receiver reveal sender speech throughput transferred

contribute conversation correctly creativity debate decode deliver determine

function habit impairment important inform information input

message need output particular perception persuade potential

transmit understandable understanding version visual worthwhile written

B. Read the following words with no sounds, only gestures: 30 words. action attitudes beautiful cannot chance cheese choose decision distance education engineer enough excuse expensive experience feelings improve knowledge necessary normal people pesos prayer religious report space speak talk vehicle weight

C. Sentences. Communicate to your classmates the following ideas with words; then, with no words only gestures. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Im hungry. I love you. I hate you! I am so sorry. Look at me. Tell me please. I am listening. Trust me. I am honest.

10. Any problem?

D. Questions for discussion. 1. How did you find communicating without using words? (Guide word: difficult) _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ 2. How important is speech and language to us? (Guide word: important). Report orally to the class. _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ _________________________________________________________________ _ E. Draw an illustration of the cycle of communication.

F. Enumerate possible problems that may arise in a feedback in the communication. ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _ ____________________________________________________________________ _

Communication as an Art and Its Purpose Communication as an art calls for creativity and intelligibility in
introducing words which are beautiful and pleasurable to the minds of the listeners and in the hearts of the readers. It requires for the writer to strive bring something new and worthwhile to the reader just as the speaker dares to capture the listeners understanding to his views through the speech he s/delivers. As an art, there is also accuracy and clearness of the sound produced and the word itself in a spoken language. In other words, communication is the art of giving and receiving information in both written and spoken words. In the art of giving and receiving information, it creates a new art of learning appreciating and discovering ideas. The written spoken words have certain purposes, namely: to inform (providing facts), to entertain (amusing or pleasing the reader/listener), to enlighten (explaining or citing relationships), to persuade (getting/leading the audience move or do something), to impress (bringing insights or deeper meanings), and, to give praise or pay tribute (rendering plausible acts of accomplishments).

Exercise 2 TEST ON THE ART AND PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION A. Read the following parallel phrases aloud. 1. creativity and intelligibility 2. beautiful and pleasurable 3. new and worthwhile 4. accuracy and clearness 5. giving and receiving 6. written and spoken words 7. appreciating and discovering ideas

B. Describe (orally) communication as an art using parallel phrases above in A. C. Read the following infinite phrases: 1. to inform 2. to entertain 3. to enlighten 4. to persuade 5. to impress 6. to give praise or pay tribute
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D. Give/Cite the purposes of communication in sentence form. Do it orally.

Mechanics of Speech
The mechanism for speech sound production is the human being itself; gifted with organs of speech. Exercise 3 BEGIN A SURVEY OF THE SPEECH ORGANS WITH SOME EXPERIMENT AND EXERCISES A. 1. Observe how you normally breathe. 2. Do you notice how you were breathing without conscious thought? 3. Inhale and exhale. 4. Do you notice how regular and rhythmic is your breathing with inhalation and exhalation? 5. Say the following sentence aloud several times and breathe in-between repetitions: Breathing for ordinary inhalation and exhalation. B. life processes involves

Write your observation of Number 5 experiment.

Example of an Observation: An observation is a combination of the instruction and result in an experiment. INSTRUCTION Saying the sentence aloud several times and breathing inbetween repetitions. + RESULT = OBSERVATION Do this orally. + Quick inhalation in preparation for each repetition, thus doubling the amount of air taken in. = (ANSWER)

Note: Start the sentence with if or when.

The simple experiment you just did brings out two salient points about speech production: first, it is the outgoing breath from the lungs that is modulated into speech; second, speaking necessitates conscious breath control in order to make the period of exhalation longer than the period of inhalation. The lungs is the first organ necessary for speech. The air stream expelled from the lungs passes through a tube called trachea and comes out through the larynx situated at the upper end of the tube. The larynx catches the stream of exhaled breath and, by means of vocal folds, transmits it into vocal sound. This is known as phonation, and larynx is the sound production room where phonation originates. The process by which vocal sound becomes speech sounds, syllables, and words is called articulation. The tongue, the lower lip and the jaw are the chief articulators. They articulate against fixed points of articulations: the upper lip, upper teeth, the gum ridge, the heard palate, and soft palate. Precision of articulation come from active use of articulators in conjunction with the fixed points of articulation. The sound produced then is amplified and modified in the resonators: the pharynx, the nose, and the mouth. This process is called resonance. C. Practice reading the sonnet aloud, paying attention to the pronunciation of vowels, consonants, and diphthongs. If thou must love me, let it be for naught Except for loves sake only. Do not say, I love her for her smile her look her way Of speaking gently, - for a trick of thought That falls in well with mine, and certes brought A sense of please ease on such a day For these things in themselves, Beloved, may Be changed, or change for thee and love, so wrought, May be unwrought so. Neither love me for Thine own dear pitys wiping my cheeks dry: A creature might forget to weep, who bore Thy comfort long, and lose Thy love thereby! But love me for loves sake, that evermore Thou mayst love on, through loves eternity.

 Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese (IV) Adopted from Advanced Speech Communication by Edna M. Dela Cruz and Lina P. Enriquez

D. When you feel nervous or frightened before facing the class, it is important that you do relaxation exercises. To relax your head and neck, let your head dangle forward. Slowly, roll it to one side, then back, then to other side, then forward again. Repeat five times. Projection is related to loudness but it is not loudness alone, it is how you use your voice, face, body to communicate your thoughts and feelings clearly and forcefully to your listeners at a given distance. In other words, your non-verbal cues or bodily gesture should show this interest in communicating to listeners. Meaningful; gestures and movements, alert posture and eye-to-eye contact are useful in projecting thoughts and feelings of your speech. E. Study first the meaning of the following passage. Then practice reading them as you would before a small and quiet audience. The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address Adopted from Advanced Speech Communication by Edna M. Dela Cruz and Lina P. Enriquez

In spoken language, voice is very important. It is so important in the production of sound. In the production of sound, the sound and combination of sounds becomes symbols that represent meanings to both speaker and listener. The sound is called the voice and the combination of sounds is the voice variety. Variety means the variation of voice such that it qualifies the sound produced. This is known as voice production in speech. The voice vary from normal to breathy, full voice, chesty voice, and thin voice. F. Call out each of the following phrases, using a vigorous vocal attack. Use a controlled tempo throughout. 1. We must fight! 2. Under the law, we are free! 3. Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! 4. Down with imperialism! 5. Long live the Republic! 6. Give me liberty, or give me death! 7. Rise and mutiny! 8. Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace! 9. Die for your country! 10. Vote for democracy!
Clifford H. Prator, Jr., Manual of American English Pronunciation Adopted from Advanced Speech Communication by Edna M. Dela Cruz and Lina P. Enriquez

Reinforcement ReinforcementActivities Activities

Exercise 1 Qualify the following items by answering orally using the scale: very much important, very important, important, less important, and not important. A. The Speech Course _____ Why? ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ ____________________________

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_ B. The Speech Mechanism (mouth, lips, tongue, teeth, palate, larynx, oral cavity, vocal cords, nose, jaw) _____ Why? ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ Why? ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ D. Production of Sound ((normal voice, breathy voice, full voice, chesty voice, thin voice) _____ Why? ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ ____________________________ _ Exercise 2 Rate yourself the following phrases of speech items 1 to 5, 1 is the highest and 5 is the lowest. A. _____ 1. articulation of sounds _____ 2. pronunciation of words _____ 3. inhalation/exhalation of air _____ 4. production of sounds _____ 5. phonation of sounds _____ 6. resonation of sounds _____ 7. combination of symbols C. Rephrase items in A and read orally. Example: 1. articulation of (substitution) sound formation of sounds B. Complete each phrase into a compound sentence.

C. The Speech Process _____ (inhalation, exhalation, phonation, resonation, articulation)

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Exercise 3 Assess/evaluate yourself using the categories below on the following items. Then structuralize them into sentences. A. Use the following scale: VMD Very Much Difficult; VD Very Difficult; D Difficult; NSD Not So Difficult; and ND Not Difficult. _____ 1. articulating sounds _____ 2. pronouncing words _____ 3. producing sounds _____ 4. combining symbols _____ 5. speaking organizedly _____ 6. communicating meaningfully _____ 7. projecting thoughts _____ 8. developing self-confidence _____ 9. conversing interestingly _____ 10. establishing credibility B. Group items in A into VERB + NOUN COMBINATION and/or VERB + ADVERB COMBINATION. VERB + NOUN COMBINATION 1. _______________________________ 2. _______________________________ 3. _______________________________ 4. _______________________________ 5. _______________________________ C. Read orally. VERB + ADVERB COMBINATION 1. _______________________________ 2. _______________________________ 3. _______________________________ 4. _______________________________ 5. _______________________________

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