Diction diagnosis

Detection of articulation problems and letter "eating".

Clarity of speech is the cornerstone of intelligibility. A speaker can have a brilliant message, but if the phonetic execution is poor, the content is lost.

The first step to improvement is to identify articulatory vices. One of the most frequent problems is the omission of sounds, colloquially known as "eating the letters".

This usually occurs because of a lack of tonicity in the lips and tongue, or because of a speaking speed that exceeds the movement capacity of the articulatory organs.

Inaccurate articulation, where consonants blur and vowels lose their color, denotes not only a lack of technique, but can also be misinterpreted by the audience as a lack of interest or preparation.

It is essential to understand that articulation is a muscular act; if the facial muscles are "asleep" or excessively relaxed, diction will be blurred.

The goal is to achieve a "chewed" pronunciation, where each syllable has its space and definition, avoiding words piling on top of each other.

Importance of the recording for self-analysis

Auditory self-perception is misleading. What we hear when we speak differs from the acoustic reality due to the bone conduction of sound in our skull.

Therefore, in order to make an accurate diagnosis, the use of external technology is essential.

The diagnostic exercise consists of recording oneself, preferably on video to also observe facial tension, but minimally on audio, reading a text or speaking spontaneously.

When listening to the recording, attention should be paid to the endings of words (which often disappear), the clarity of stuck consonants (as in "transport" or "problem"), and the cleanliness of the sound.

It is likely that, on first hearing, you will detect crutches, seseos or a lack of energy in diction that went unnoticed in day-to-day life.

This record serves as a "before picture", allowing you to compare progress after applying the correction exercises.

Without this external and objective feedback, it is impossible to correct errors that the brain has normalized as correct.

Summary

Clarity in speech is vital to be understood. Identifying vices such as omitting sounds allows us to correct the lack of lip and tongue tone effectively.

Inaccurate articulation can be interpreted as lack of interest. It is necessary to achieve a chewed pronunciation where each syllable has its definition, avoiding piling up words.

Recording videos is essential for an objective self-analysis. This feedback allows to detect crutches and errors that the brain normalizes serving as a record of progress.