Elocution

"Elocutionist" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Elocutionist (horse).
Not to be confused with Electrocution.
A man in a hat recites with his hand raised upwards. Two children watch.
"An accomplished elocutionist", an illustration of elocutionist performing an open-air recitation, published in The Strand Magazine in 1891

Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelling.[1][2]

Elocution emerged in England in the 18th and 19th centuries and in the United States during the 19th century. It benefited men and women in different ways; the overall concept was to teach both how to become better, more persuasive speakers, standardize errors in spoken and written English, and the beginnings of the formulation of argument were discussed.

  1. ^ Vannini, Phillip; Waskul, Dennis; Gottschalk, Simon; Rambo, Carol (2010-05-18). "Sound Acts: Elocution, Somatic Work, and the Performance of Sonic Alignment". Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 39 (3): 328–353. doi:10.1177/0891241610366259. ISSN 0891-2416. S2CID 143049089.
  2. ^ Williams, Abigail (January 2017). ""A Just and Graceful Elocution": Miscellanies and Sociable Reading". Eighteenth-Century Life. 41 (1): 179–196. doi:10.1215/00982601-3695990. ISSN 0098-2601. S2CID 151986399.