Ok Mom, you were right. And Dick Major and John Wakefield, you were both right. And Lacey Keigley, you too were right. I need to speak louder. My diction is bad. I need to enunciate. My voice goes an octave too high and I sound like a child (actually "infantile" was the word most recently used). Basically, all in all, I need to learn how to speak all over again.
How do I know all of this? Why have I finally realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is true? Because I came all the way across the ocean to have someone who speaks a different language tell me the exact same thing.
In my theatre class last night, I discovered that my teacher had been giving me the benefit of the doubt. She assumed that perhaps my poor diction and quiet voice were the results of not speaking in my native tongue. After many weeks, she decided to test out her theory. I was made to do an improvisation in English in front of the class so she could hear my real voice. In the end, she was not at all pleased.
Now, I really hope that no one in that class understands English as well as they think they do, because everything I said was utter nonsense. And I think my frantic, nervous improvisation may have had something to do with why my voice went up an octave, but that's just an excuse. I know it does that whenever I'm on stage and not concentrating on it.
Essentially, I've discovered I can understand the exact same lecture in two different languages. I was actually laughing by the end because it was so perfectly the same.
How do I know all of this? Why have I finally realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is true? Because I came all the way across the ocean to have someone who speaks a different language tell me the exact same thing.
In my theatre class last night, I discovered that my teacher had been giving me the benefit of the doubt. She assumed that perhaps my poor diction and quiet voice were the results of not speaking in my native tongue. After many weeks, she decided to test out her theory. I was made to do an improvisation in English in front of the class so she could hear my real voice. In the end, she was not at all pleased.
Now, I really hope that no one in that class understands English as well as they think they do, because everything I said was utter nonsense. And I think my frantic, nervous improvisation may have had something to do with why my voice went up an octave, but that's just an excuse. I know it does that whenever I'm on stage and not concentrating on it.
Essentially, I've discovered I can understand the exact same lecture in two different languages. I was actually laughing by the end because it was so perfectly the same.
My homework is that I have to say my lines in front of a mirror and open my mouth as wide as possible. She claims that it will not only help my speech, but that it will also make my face tighter, supposedly reducing the need for Botox later in life. She used her face as an example of how good mine could look by the time I'm her age. She is hilarious.
So now I'm slightly discouraged. How can I hope to communicate in French (when I do finally learn enough to do so) if no one can even understand my words? *sigh* I have so much work cut out for me.
At least she told me my accent is charming. That's something, right?
So now I'm slightly discouraged. How can I hope to communicate in French (when I do finally learn enough to do so) if no one can even understand my words? *sigh* I have so much work cut out for me.
At least she told me my accent is charming. That's something, right?
