People were trained to decode noise-vocoded speech by hearing monosyllabic stimuli in distorted and unaltered forms. When later presented with different stimuli, listeners were able to successfully generalize their experience. However, generalization was modulated by the degree to which testing stimuli resembled training stimuli: Testing stimuli's…

Discusses Book 3 of Aristotle's "Rhetoric," especially the negative attitude expressed toward rhetorical delivery. (SRT)

Solomon Henry Clark's 1895 address entitled "The New Elocution," focused on the denigration of elocution as an academic discipline, its fall from favor with universities, and the worn, tired, and reductive methods of teaching which he saw around him. Clark's vision--as he stated in his 1915 address and book entitled "Interpretation…

If speech instructors are to teach students to recreate for an audience an author's intellectual and emotional meanings, they must teach them to use human voice effectively. Seven essential elements of effective vocal production that often pose problems for oral interpretation students should be central to any speech training program: (1)…

Noting that scholars have too willingly accepted Plato's assumption that one could not successfully be both an actor and a rhapsode (reciter or singer of epic poetry), this paper suggests that placing the "mixed style" of the rhapsode's performance art within the context of the Homeric sensibility and the cultural shift into literacy…

A sociolinguistic analysis of texts is advocated for expanding an oral interpreter's creation of an event from written texts. Two studies are reviewed that suggest that language choices are related to the speaker's purpose, thought processes, role, cultural expectations, and sex. The specific area of study suggested as highly useful for…

Affirms the value of liberal arts in educating the mind. Examines the literature of oral interpretation and theatre arts from 1960-82, discussing themes, research problems and needs, trends and directions. Notes, among other conclusions, that the nature of classroom practices in oral interpretation and theatre arts needs study. (PD)

Explains how information theory can be applied to the study of oral interpretation in ways that help performers understand and use the channels available to them in sharing literature with listeners. (PD)

Stressing the communicative aspects of oral reading, the author suggests ways to make oral interpretation more than a gauge of word perception. (MM)

This 47-item bibliography lists selected sources which offer advice, instruction, and opinion on the subject of clerical reading, including when and how it should be done. Basic speech textbooks and articles; secular oral interpretation textbooks and articles; religious source materials; and classical collections of sermons are annotated and…

Proposes an alternative interpretation to John Keats'"Ode To A Nightingale," which illustrates a greater interplay of conflict and tension and offers a potentially more varied performance. (MH)

Reports the following concerns of beginning oral interpretation students: (1) dealing with stage fright; (2) finding suitable material; (3) analyzing the literature; and (4) using voice and body for performance. Proposes choral reading as an effective means to deal with these concerns, since the emphasis is on group rather than solo performance.…

In the process of perfecting oral performances of selected scenes from Eudora Welty's "The Optimist's Daughter," it is important to study point of view and character as they pertain to the play. Four aspects should be considered to understand the point of view: (1) the character's story, (2) the position from which the narrator speaks,…