Lloyd wrote:
> Italian singers use all of these forms of the AH vowel but only one > of them is the correct AH vowel for Italian and that is the [a]. If > these forms of AH are used well they create the effect of a > continuous singing line and the singers register changes are almost > unnoticeable. The changes in vowels they use are also not noticeable > but when analyzed from recordings the differences are evident. In > other words, they create the effect of singing only the [a] vowel but > this effect is created by the uses of many variations on that same > vowel. > > The effect of the singing tone is paramount. Vowel distortion that > is evident and clearly distorted is, of course, not acceptable. And > there are singing techniques that encourage almost a single vowel > approach to all singing tone. Clearly this is not acceptable any > more than a singing technique the emphasizes consonants at the > expense of quality singing tone.
You mentioned something that I think is very important to this discussion. As a native speaker of Portuguese, a Romance language, and being from São Paulo, a city with an italianated accent, as an English teacher, AND having Italian origins, I can tell you for sure: we don't notice that difference! Our ears can't notice, unless extremely well trained, those slight variations in vowels. Therefore, for us, all those AHs you referred to are nothing but one single AH! As well as we don't notice, unless, again, trained to distinguish that, EE as in sEEk from I as in sIck, AE as in bAd from E as in bed, OO as in fOOd from U as in pUt. But English speakers and some others who speak non-Romance languages CAN!
As research shoes, that is due to how our brains develop by being exposed solely to our native languages, which do not have the same complex vowel system English has, for example. Japanese and Chinese people can't tell the difference between an R and an L sound, but we, Westerners, can, so that does not allow us to pronounce an R when an L is expected, or the opposite. That brings up some very good points here: what language are you singing in and who are you singing to?
Robin wrote:
"And if anyone can tell me how to get her to remember the sound of the "i" in "sit", I'll be eternally grateful. . ."
I have the same problem with my English students. Brains 'lose' part of their abilities to distinguish new sound differences after about 5 years of age, but if you do the same kind of training you do to develop tone-deaf students you can help her a lot. I recommend this book: "Manual of American English Pronunciation", by Practor and ? ( I left it on the bus! ) as the best one to explain the pronunciation of American English.
BTW, going back to the technological issue, I think those writing softwares that recognize dictation may help students as a biofeedback tool, since those slight differences in vowels would force them to pronounce correctly to have the correct spelling. That is the same for those who sing in a foreign language: MAYBE, if you get the national version in the language you want to sing in, it may help you to develop your pronunciation.
Bye,
Caio Rossi
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