McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson Elocution · Part 1: Principles of Elocution
1. Principles of Elocution: Articulation optional
Goal: Your student knows what articulation means and can say the vowel and consonant sounds of English clearly and with force.
You'll need
- The book, or the scan beside this guide
- A notebook and pen
- A mirror is handy, and a phone to record your student reading (optional)
What's in the book
The opening page names the six parts of elocution (articulation, inflection, accent and emphasis, reading verse, the voice, and gesture) and begins Articulation. Tables of vowel sounds ("vocals") and consonant sounds ("subvocals and aspirates") follow, with words and sentences to practice.
The lesson, step by step
What this section is for
The Sixth Reader opens with a short course in elocution: the art of reading and speaking aloud well. It is optional, but a few minutes of it before each reading lesson makes a real difference.
Read the opening list of six parts together.
SayThe book will teach articulation, inflection, accent and emphasis, reading verse, the voice, and gesture. Today is the first: articulation.
Read the definition
Have your student read the definition aloud:
Articulation is the utterance of the elementary sounds of a language, and of their combinations.
The book says the first goal is to say these sounds "with distinctness," and that this comes only by careful practice.
Work through the table of vocals
Open the Table of Vocals (the vowel sounds). Read each key word slowly, then say the vowel sound alone. Your student copies you, then reads the table alone.
Listen for lazy, swallowed sounds. A mirror helps: the mouth should open and move.
Subvocals and aspirates
Next come the consonant sounds. Read a few lines of the table together, saying each sound sharply, with force, and then the whole word.
SaySay the last sound of each word as clearly as the first. Most mumbling happens at the ends of words.
Practice sentences
The book gives practice words and sentences. Choose four or five and have your student say each one three times: slowly, then at normal speed, then a little faster, without losing a single sound.
Talk about it
SayWhy would a reader in 1879 need a whole section on saying sounds clearly?
SayThink of someone you like to listen to. What makes them easy to understand?
SayWhich sounds were hardest for you today?
Make it a habit
Record your student reading three practice sentences now, and again in a month. Hearing the difference is the best encouragement.
Afterwards
Spend two or three minutes on the articulation tables before each reading lesson this week.
Tip
Do not rush this section. Clear sounds matter more than speed, and they carry over into every lesson that follows.