elocutionist

An elocutionist is a person who studies, teaches, or performs elocution—the art of clear, expressive speech. Elocution encompasses pronunciation, articulation, pace, intonation, emphasis, and voice projection, as well as nonverbal elements such as posture and breathing that affect delivery.

Elocutionists may work as voice coaches, diction instructors, or dialect coaches for actors, students, or public speakers. They design exercises to improve clarity and expressiveness, using phonetics, articulation drills, breathing techniques, and structured reading or speaking practice, with feedback on cadence, tone, and emphasis.

Historically, elocution as a formal discipline rose in Britain and the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries, with educators promoting standardized speech and rhetorical delivery for education, theatre, and broadcasting. The field produced teachers, schools, and training materials aimed at improving public speaking.

In contemporary usage, elocutionists often function as voice or dialect coaches, or as diction instructors in schools or studios. The term overlaps with but is not identical to speech-language pathology, which deals with diagnosing and treating speech or language disorders.

Critics have noted that traditional elocution emphasized uniform accents and prescriptive norms at times, potentially marginalizing regional speech. Modern practice generally emphasizes clear, confident communication and expressive delivery while respecting linguistic variation.