- 1. Speak syllables with a blocked nose
- 2. Repeat a sentence with your nose covered
- 3. Work the soft palate
When people speak words with oral vowels and there is a deviation of air flow to the nasal cavity, they get a nasal voice. In some cases, the nasal voice can be corrected with exercises.
The soft palate is the region where the nasal resonance is to be regulated. Some people are born with a different soft palate configuration and some people end up having more resonance in the nose, giving a more nasal voice. In these cases, a speech therapist should be sought, so that the best treatment is indicated.
1. Speak syllables with a blocked nose
An exercise that you can do is plug your nose and say some syllables, with oral sounds:
"Sa se si su su"
"Pa pe pi po pu"
"Read it right"
When talking about this type of sounds, which are oral sounds, the air flow must come out through the mouth and not through the nasal cavity. Thus, you can repeat these syllables several times until you no longer feel a vibration in your nose.
Another way to check if the exercise is being performed correctly, is to place a mirror under the nose while saying the syllables, to check if air comes out of the nose. If it gets foggy, it means that air is coming out of the nose and that the syllables are not being spoken correctly.
2. Repeat a sentence with your nose covered
Another way to check if the person speaks through the nose is to speak a phrase in which the voice resonance must be oral and then try to repeat it in exactly the same way, without noticing changes:
"Daddy went out"
"Luís took the pencil"
If the sound is the same, it means that the person spoke correctly and controlled the air outlet correctly. Otherwise, it means that the person may be speaking through the nose.
To improve your voice, you can repeat this exercise several times, trying to control the air outlet in order to say the phrase in the same way with and without a blocked nose.
3. Work the soft palate
Another exercise that can help correct the nasal voice is to say the following syllables, which should only come out through the mouth:
"Ká ké ki ko ku"
Repeating the syllable "ká" with intensity, helps to work the soft palate, improving the regulation of the air outlet through the mouth or nose. You can also cover and nose, in order to understand if the sound is coming out correctly.
See also exercises that help improve diction.
