This postRecently I’ve noticed that when I pass by people, my attempt to smile somehow freezes my mouth so that my “Hi, [Insert name here], how’s it going?” comes out flatter than usual.
And then with a start I realized that I do it more often than that. It didn’t take long to trace the causal chain back to its source: sometime back in the foggy mists of my childhood, I became infatuated with Lamb Chop’s Sing Along (a TV show), and, by extension, ventriloquism. (Lamb Chop was a puppet ventriloquized by this lady with red hair.) So I read up on ventriloquism, even got myself one of those freaky-looking dolls (they gave me nightmares), and practiced.
I was never too successful, but apparently one of the key techniques — not moving your mouth — somehow ingrained itself in my facial muscles and has been part of me ever since. I should clarify that it’s not like I never move my mouth when talking; I just don’t move it as much as I could. The result? Muddier sounds, making it hard to hear sometimes (mumble mumble). In the shower this morning I tested my hypothesis while belting out “Redeemer of Israel” and “The Spirit of God,” and yup, I was right. Letting my mouth move the way it was built to move does indeed make my vowels clearer and my consonants crisper.
Curses upon Lamb Chop. :P No, really, now that I’m aware of it, I should be able to will my mouth into talking with gusto and verve, not the sedate somnolence of a couch potato in a coma.
