Evening star., 1936-12-20

of information by means of the
tongue, adams apple and related ap-
pendages has been affected to con-
siderable degree. They all will con-
cede that radio has started people
thinking about the vocal perform
ances of their friends, relatives, ra-
dio artists, actors and movie stars.
THE speech scientists see eye to eye
on the subject of talking as
exploited by announcers. OF course,
there are all types of talking in the
announcing profession, running from
the "r'' dropping swank of the New
Yawker type to the rangy drawl OF
, the Westerner. But whatever part of
the map they represent. the scientists
agree that the boys who make liv-
ing at the microphone are inclined to
spray their glib chatter with large
doses of culture.
| The result in many cases is rather
self-conScious and Stilted. Since an
nouncers listen to brother practition-
ers of the same art, particularly to
! Vic bOtSCL VA AtSS
work pay rolls, they are inclined to
| initiate one another, consciously or
SubconSciouSly. So whether or not the
general public has changed its talk
ing habits in the Is years that radio
has been an influence on their lives,
at least it is apparent that announcers
are approaching certain uniformity.
,Ia,- 0f, tnc ha h.
ject is being studied, and it occupied
a considerable part of the agenda OF
the First National Conference on Edu-
cational Broadcasting, which met re-
Gently in Washington. Among those
, who dwelt on the matter was Prof.
H. L. Ewbank of the University of
Wisconsin.
DUBLIC interest in ways Of talking
has been whetted by radio, the
Wisconsin speech savant claims. For
example. he tells how a commercial
organization that sells correspondence
courses in how to talk has acquired
100000 customers through its radio
programs. He believes that radio is
lessening regional differences in pro-
nunciation and speech pattern, par
ticularly in the case of announcers.
Prof Ewbank sees the day when a
standard speech will be approached,
and he believes it will be compro-
mise between the speech OF different
geographical areas. He notes that
public speakers nowadays are turning
from the bombaSt of the agitator, with
the usual vocal tricks that supposedly
sway the mobs, and are adopting a
perSon-to-p person style, more on the
fireside chat order.
HAROLD L. ICKEs, Secretary of
the Interior, believes the first
consideration in radio programs Of
an educational nature should be the
correct use OF our native language.
He calls attention to the fact that
speech and educational standards are
improving and predicts that in time
faulty grammar and speech on the air
will greatly diminish.
Prof. w. Cabel Greet OF Barnard
College, who thinks that announcers
consider themselves magnificent door,
men and buffers who use a flunky
speech full of dignity, says that radio
has had only slight effect on Ameri-
can speech. His attitude is that radio
has jointed other democratic forces
that tend to make Americans talk
alike, dress alike act alike and often
think alike. He suggests that Presi-
dent Roosevelt's radio speech. general
ly recognized as the zenith Of micro
phone performances, has not been
initiated by the youth of the land
and then adds that he doubts if the
speech influence of year of radio is
equal to that OF a weeks automobile
trip in a distant State.