characteristics of effective Delivery 13.3 271
Is a dialect detrimental to effective communication with an audience? Al-
though a speaker’s dialect may identify that person as being from a certain part
of the country, it won’t necessarily affect the audience’s comprehension of the
information unless the dialect is so pronounced that the listeners can’t under-
stand the speaker’s words. Research does suggest, however, that listeners tend
to prefer a dialect that is similar to their own.^28 We don’t recommend that you
eliminate your own mild dialect; but if your word pronunciation is significantly
distracting to your listeners, you might consider modifying it.
The four elements of a dialect include intonation pattern, vowel production,
consonant production, and speaking rate.
• Use proper intonation. A typical North American intonation pattern is pre-
dominantly a rising and falling pattern. The pattern looks something like
this:
“Good morning. How are you?”
Intonation patterns of other languages, such as Hindi, may remain on al-
most exactly the same pitch level; some native North American ears find the
monotone pitch distracting.
• Pronounce vowels clearly. Many people who speak English as a second lan-
guage often clip, or shorten, the vowel sounds, which can make comprehen-
sion more challenging. Stretching or elongating vowels within words can
be a useful skill for such speakers to develop. If this is a vocal skill that you
need to cultivate, consider recording your speech and then comparing it
with the standard American pronunciation you hear on TV or radio.
• Pronounce consonants appropriately. Consonant production varies depend-
ing on what language you are speaking. It is sometimes difficult to produce
clear consonants that are not overdone. Consonants that are so soft as to be
almost unheard may produce a long blur of unintelligible sound rather than
a crisply articulated sound.
• Use an appropriate speaking rate. People whose first language is not English
sometimes speak too fast, in the hope that this will create the impression
that they are very familiar with English. Slowing the rate just a bit often
enhances comprehension for native English speakers listening to someone
who is less familiar with English pronunciation. A rate that is too fast also
contributes to problems with clipped vowels, soft or absent consonants,
and an intonation pattern that is on one pitch level rather than comfortably
varied.ProNuNcIAtIoN Whereas articulation relates to the clarity of sounds,
pronunciation concerns the degree to which the sounds conform to those as-
signed to words in standard English. Mispronouncing words can detract from a
speaker’s credibility.^29 If you are uncertain about how to pronounce a word, look
it up in an online dictionary. Most popular dictionaries provide recordings of the