Elocution refers to one’s manner of speaking, particularly in public. It involves the study of proper public speaking, including pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone. In the 18th century, speech was considered an art form and elocution shared ties with pronuntiatio, the art of public speaking. Elocution involves principles such as articulation, inflection, accent, voice, and gesture. Correct elocution is important, but adequate pronuntiatio requires visual engagement as well.
In general, the word “elocution” refers to one’s manner of speaking or oral pronunciation. Elocution is particularly used to refer to a speaker’s manner of speech when he is speaking or reading aloud in public. Elocution can also refer to the study of proper public speaking, with an emphasis on pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone.
There is more to elocution, however, than neat definition. In the eighteenth century, speech was considered an art form and a formal discipline. In this capacity, elocution shares common ties with pronuntiatio, the art of public speaking, which was one of the five integral disciplines of classical Western rhetoric. Following the syllabus of this art form, academic speakers would study diction, dress, attitude, and the appropriate use of gestures. It appears that in the study of speech pronunciation, the communications of the unspoken word were equally important as those of the spoken word.
Like any bona fide argument, of course, elocution involves a number of important principles. These are commonly considered articulation, inflection, accent, voice, and gesture. Articulation refers to the sounds of speech and their correct pronunciation. Inflection refers to the pitch or tone of the speaker’s voice and its modulation. Accent refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable, word, or phrase, as opposed to a lack of emphasis on other surrounding syllables or parts of the phrase. In terms of diction, accent does not indicate any written marks or regional pronunciations of a particular language. Voice specifically refers to the quality, clarity and effectiveness of what is said or expressed. Gesture, of course, refers to any bodily movement that accompanies a spoken word, especially a movement designed to emphasize or aid in the communication of the spoken word.
An example can be used to clarify the ideas of elocution and pronuntiatio as they might have been studied and understood in the 16th century. Let’s say a speaker approaches a podium in shabby clothes, hunched over and perfectly still throughout his speech, but delivers his speech with the correct intonation and volume, using effective wording and a rich tone of voice. By criticizing, we could say that the speaker exhibited correct elocution, as the sound of his speech was acceptable. Yet the speaker would not have exhibited adequate pronuntiatio, since he was visually dull and anonymous.
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