Normativity in 18th century discourse on speech.
Eighteenth century phoneticians, such as Dodart, Ferrein, and Hellwag, extended the taxonomy of visible articulatory processes into the realm of the invisible, notably with the exploration of the voicing mechanism. Remedial initiatives were not simply confined to consideration of the outward manifestations of speech and its disorders: The work of Haller, Kuestner, and Morgagni shows an acute awareness of the nervous organization underlying verbal behavior. There was a characteristic preoccupation with mechanical models of speech, which led to the attempts of Kempelen and other investigators to construct actual "speaking machines." Eighteenth century scholars regarded language as not only an innate capacity peculiar to human nature, but also as a bodily habit learned by experience. The function of the orthoepist was to teach the right speech habits, and the upward mobility of the bourgeoisie created a demand for his services.
D005060:Europe; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics / Q000266:history*; D010700:Phonetics; D012660:Semantics; D014481:United States