| From: Erik Johanson Subject: demise of the umlaut/rounded vowels To: VOCALIST <vocalist> Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>
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
| |