For those who wanted our analysis of the Leaders' Debate explained. What is it with vowels?

I've been asked by a few people to explain the vowel vs consonants references in the Leaders' Debate analysis below. So, here we go...

Imagine looking out of a window and seeing something big-ish, not huge, just sizeable. However, you use the word "enormous" to describe it. So you say:

"It's enormous."

Now imagine seeing the biggest thing you've ever seen -it's mind-blowingly large. You use the same word to describe it but this time you might say:

"It's enoooorrrmous."

You bump into someone you know. You don't want a conversation. You're just being polite and you say:

"Hi."

 You see a long-lost friend and it's the best moment of your month and you say:

"Hiiiiiiiiii"

Something is "amazing" or it's "amaaaazing".

So, the duration of the vowel is directly proportional to the emotional commitment we are making. We find emphasis through vowel elongation. However, we can also find emphasis by hitting the consonant...

We can make the word "superb" more dramatic and place more emphasis on it by placing a hard plosive stress on the "p".

"suPerb"

Or we could choose to use the vowel sound, by elongating it:

"supeerrrb"

Vowel elongation is a far more elegant and emotive form of emphasis. A good speaker must learn to find emphasis through vowel elongation, rather than through hard hitting of the plosive consonants. 

Quick beats of the hand, such as those that Nigel Farage used in the Leaders' Debate, will encourage consonant stress. Fluid, smooth, longer or controlled movements of the hand will draw out the vowels. 

Try saying a sentence and making jerky movements with your hands and you'll see how staccato rhythms develop in your speaking. Now say the same sentence and move you hands in curved or fluid movements and you'll find that the vowels are elongated.

We call the force that connects the way we move and the speaking rhythms we use "Synergy". Synergy is critical in a good speaker but it can be your best friend or your worst enemy. A speaker with strong synergy bears a responsibility -if the movements are bad, the voice will follow suit; if the movements are smooth and controlled, the speaking will be too.