Ventriloquism, How To Do It
Created | Updated Nov 13, 2002
Note: Here's the Edited version of this entry.
Ventriloquism is the art of speaking without visibly moving those parts of the body which are normally used. The technique is useful for entertaining children, or for talking about private things that you don't want to be read from your lips1.
But the term itself is misleading, and the art is mainly based on deception of the audience. Ventriloquists do not speak with their stomach, as the origin from the latin venter and loqui ('to speak') would suggest. In fact, they use exactly the same apparatus as normally speaking people do.
Basic Principle
Deception of the audience consists of six elements:
Substitution of some specific sounds (or combinations thereof) by others that sound similar, but need no lip or chin movement;
Avoidance of those sounds which cannot easily be substituted. This is feasible because the text to be spoken is known to the artist in advance, and he therefore can choose synonyms for difficult words;
Keeping one's mouth almost closed (with the lips frozen in a 'keep smiling' position), which serves to hide movements of the tongue;
Hiding the movements of the chest while breathing;
Distraction of the audience, which in itself consists of two elements:
Gesturing with some fancy puppet, which the audience is made to believe to be the originator;
Significant changes in the pitch of the speaker's voice, seemingly to better fit together with the puppet and to distinguish between a multitude of them, but mainly to cover the sounds that have been replaced. People will more easily forgive a puppet for using a somewhat weird pronunciation.
In a longer context, people tend to understand what they want to understand, and not what their ears are actually receiving.
How To Do It
The following replacements have to take place:
| Sound | |
|---|---|
| soft 'd' or 'g' | |
| very soft 'th', with the tongue retracted a little back from 'th' to the 'h' position | |
| 'ng' like in 'singing' | |
| 'kh' or a sound halfway between 'd' and 't', spoken with the tongue touching not the teeth, but the upper gums. Difficult at word beginnings | |
| another form of 'th' | |
| yet another 'th' variation, even softer than the 'f' substitute | |
| 'ng', ie: same as 'm' alone, forget about the 'b' in there |
Some combinations need their special treatment:
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| avoid, or try a soft 'dd' | ||
| ampersand | avoid | |
| avoid, sometimes 'kl' will do | ||
| avoid, or try 'ts' or 'ks' | ||
| avoid, sometimes 'sk' might work | ||
| one more 'th' derivative | ||
| same as 'f', replaced by 'th' |
There are some more tongue-twisting combinations, but you will find out by yourself.
Words ending in 'b' or 'p' are to be avoided completely, those ending in 'm' depend on the context.
Acronyms containing any of the above sounds (eg, BBC or VIP) also have to be avoided.
That's about all there is, and the rest can simply be left over to some practice:
The phrase "would you like to come for breakfast" is converted to "thould you like to cong thor dreakthast?"
Try It Out!
And now threeze your [lits] thace in a sngiling khosition, thile the start this entry all other again!
Thentriloquisng is the art oth talking thithout thisidly ngothing those dtarts oth your dody thich are norngally used.
The technique is usethul thor entertaining children, or thor talking adout [dtrithate] dtersonal things that you don't thant to de read throng your lidts.
[But] Hoether, the terng is ngisleading, and the art is ngainly dased on [decedttion] deceithing the audience. Thentriloquists do NOT [speak] talk thith their stongach, as the origin throng the latin 'thenter' and 'loqui' ('skeeking') thould suggest. In thact, they use exactly the sange addaratus as norngally skeaking [people] tholks...
and so thorth!!
That do you think adout this? Isn't it stunning how thew sounds need [reklacengent] sugstitution in an atherage text?
Epilogue
Long autodahn thoyages are an excellent oddortunity thor training thithout getting lauthed at, decause nodody can realize that you are doing, and etherydody is glad to see a sngile on your thace.
