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From: Erik Johanson
Subject: demise of the umlaut/rounded vowels
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
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At 02:55 AM 2/8/00 +0200, Karen Mercedes wrote:
>Time is running out for the umlaut and other weird German diacriticals.<

I have lately heard that the act of rounding the lips is disappearing also
in European spoken languages. It is already pretty much gone in American,
so that I have to have my students exercise rounding and un-rounding their
lips, in order to activate the under-used buccinator muscles. Rounding is
most necessary for efficient acoustical singing.

Anyone care to comment? I would especially like to hear from listers in
Europe.

You may correspond on the list or privately.


Pax,


Erik Johanson, Tenor
Associate Professor of Music
Dept. of Music
University of Toledo
2801 West Bancroft Street
Toledo OH 43606-3390
419/530-4551
FAX 419/530-8483
ejohans-at-uoft02.utoledo.edu
http://www.rram.com/johanson.htm or
http://www.utoledo.edu/colleges/arts-and-sciences/music/johanson.html