I named the jaw the “Gateway to Sound” because if you’re afraid to talk, the jaw will close and tighten up and can affect both pronunciation and vocal resonance. The jaw exercise comes from Kristin Linklater’s work, and it was a breakthrough for me.
Hold your lower jaw gently with the knuckles of each hand. Point your fingertips towards the floor while your knuckles are holding the lower jaw, and thumb is below the chin. Palms are towards your face. With your head level (without arching your neck) gently pull down the lower jaw and with your bent fingers still on it, let it release to close. The upper jaw doesn’t move.
You will probably notice some resistance when you try to pull it down. Be sure to add some sound as you are gently pulling …show more content…
This can happen in just a few minutes.
The Meaning and Emotion in Words
As I learned to relax the muscles in the mouth, throat, diaphragm, tongue, and rib cage, I learned I could produce new sounds and connect to the essence of words. This affected the way I spoke and how I taught English. Meaning and emotion could be captured in the sounds of many words—especially the older words.
In general, vowels allow for emotion to emerge while consonants generate the meaning of words through the phonetic barriers of teeth, lips and tongue. Enunciating a word using its consonants give it boundaries, and meaning. When I make the sound “aaaahhhh” for a prolonged period I feel an easy joy. When I make another vowel sound like “eeeeehhh” I feel excitement or nervousness. (If you’re stiff, you won’t be able to feel the words. You have to have the openness and relaxation to let the word pronounce itself through you.)
Older English or French words, such as those in plays by Shakespeare and Moliere, are formed out of the experience itself. For example, suppose you never knew what the word
BUBBLE meant. If your lips are relaxed, and you allow your cheeks to fill up with air, and
Hold your lower jaw gently with the knuckles of each hand. Point your fingertips towards the floor while your knuckles are holding the lower jaw, and thumb is below the chin. Palms are towards your face. With your head level (without arching your neck) gently pull down the lower jaw and with your bent fingers still on it, let it release to close. The upper jaw doesn’t move.
You will probably notice some resistance when you try to pull it down. Be sure to add some sound as you are gently pulling …show more content…
This can happen in just a few minutes.
The Meaning and Emotion in Words
As I learned to relax the muscles in the mouth, throat, diaphragm, tongue, and rib cage, I learned I could produce new sounds and connect to the essence of words. This affected the way I spoke and how I taught English. Meaning and emotion could be captured in the sounds of many words—especially the older words.
In general, vowels allow for emotion to emerge while consonants generate the meaning of words through the phonetic barriers of teeth, lips and tongue. Enunciating a word using its consonants give it boundaries, and meaning. When I make the sound “aaaahhhh” for a prolonged period I feel an easy joy. When I make another vowel sound like “eeeeehhh” I feel excitement or nervousness. (If you’re stiff, you won’t be able to feel the words. You have to have the openness and relaxation to let the word pronounce itself through you.)
Older English or French words, such as those in plays by Shakespeare and Moliere, are formed out of the experience itself. For example, suppose you never knew what the word
BUBBLE meant. If your lips are relaxed, and you allow your cheeks to fill up with air, and