What are the differences between articulation, pronunciation, enunciation and diction?
You’ve probably heard all of these terms before, but have you ever thought about what they really mean? To a certain degree these terms are interchangeable, especially when one considers the definitions below, from The New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language: Deluxe Encyclopedic Edition. USA: Delair, 1984: • Articulate is derived from “joints.” It means “to utter by intelligent and appropriate movement of the vocal organs; to enunciate, pronounce, or speak clearly” (p. 57). • To pronounce is “to articulate, as phrases or words; to utter, as letters or words, in a specified manner” (p. 763). • To enunciate is “to utter or pronounce, especially in a particular manner” (p. 328). • Diction refers to “one’s manner of voicing sounds in speaking or singing; enunciation” (p. 278). In studio voice training, you’ve probably been told to change a word’s pronunciation, or to enunciate more clearly. In studying voice diction, you’ll also hear a lot about articulation and of course, diction
