Dear Doris and Vocalisters
As relates below, the vowel in "Shun" is correctly written in IPA as
an upside down v. However, it is really a form of the AH vowel in
terms of vocal tract adjustment (including the tongue) and is often
called a sheltered AH.
Each of these forms of AH do tend to move progressively further back
in the mouth if one pays attention to that, but when speaking them
one does not usually consider whether they are more forward or back.
I have found that it is very helpful to make students aware if these
differences in the pronunciation of the AH vowel by having them say
these AH vowels without saying the words in which they are found.
This can only be done if they think of the words as they say each
form of the AH vowel. As they work on this exercise I do not stress
the concept of front or back in each AH vowel but only its slight
difference in pronunciation and an awareness of an almost
infinitesimal change in adjustments of the vocal tract.
Once the student has a fairly good "feel" for these different
pronunciations which he/she usually does without being aware of their
"frontness" or "backness" they can use these forms of the AH to
assist them in managing the difficulties of the passaggio (when one
must negotiate it on an AH vowel) and to sing their highest tones
with a balance of bright and dark as per their choice without having
to consider whether the vowel is forward or back but only if it is
the vowel found in one of these four words.
It is a technique that has served me well.
Lloyd
>In a message dated 4/7/01 4:36:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
>
><<
> File
> Father
> Shout
> Shun.
> >>
>
>Fascinating, Lloyd! The first vowel of each dipthong is an ah, each coming
>from progressively further back in the mouth as you go down the list. But I
>think in the case of *shun,* it has turned into what I would not call an
>*ah.* Isn't that the sound depicted by the upside down V which is a variety
>of *ooo* or *u* and not an ah at all?
--
Lloyd W. Hanson, DMA
Professor of Voice, Pedagogy
School of Performing Arts
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
|
