---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ordinary people who know nothing of…"
description: "\"Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution have difficulties in understanding slow speech composed of perfect sounds, while they have n..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg"
---

#  Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution…

![“Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution have difficulties in understanding slow speech composed of perfect sounds, while they have no difficulty in comprehending an imperfect gabble if only the accent and rhythm are natural.” quote by Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg)

> “Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution have difficulties in understanding slow speech composed of perfect sounds, while they have no difficulty in comprehending an imperfect gabble if only the accent and rhythm are natural.”

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People struggle with perfect pronunciation but understand natural, imperfect speech more easily, highlighting the importance of rhythm and accent over flawless sounds

**In simple terms:** Natural speech beats perfect speech in comprehension

Key Takeaway

Focus on natural rhythm and accent when teaching speech

Themes

communication phonetics learning perception

Mood

educational analytical

Type

instructional insightful

When to use this quote

- Language teaching
- public speaking
- audio design

Key Concepts

Speech perception cognitive load

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you incorporate natural rhythm into speech training?
- What role does accent play in listener comprehension?

A Different Perspective

Perfect clarity is less effective without natural flow

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Comprehending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehending/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Elocution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elocution/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect/) [Know Phonetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-phonetics-4758152/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Phonetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phonetics/) [Phonetics Elocution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phonetics-elocution-4758153/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Slow Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-speech-492173/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-slow-4758154/)

## Related quotes

> [“One of life’s hardest jobs, to make a quick understanding slow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/one-of-life-s-hardest-jobs-to-make-a-quick-understanding-slow/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/o-lord-i-have-never-been-eloquent-neither-in-the-past-nor-since-you/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [“Here are several strategies for enhancing communication when addressing an audience of second-language English speakers: Slow down. Slow down. Slow down. Use clear, slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/here-are-several-strategies-for-enhancing-communication-when/)

[David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/)

> [His ear heard more than what was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/his-ear-heard-more-than-what-was-said-to-him-and-his-slow-speech-had/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“I am not a man of words, not yesterday, not the day before, not from the first time You spoke to your servant. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-a-man-of-words-not-yesterday-not-the-day-before-not-from-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/i-am-slow-of-speech-and-slow-of-tongue/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [Wisdom is worried for being slow in its speech and expeditious in its actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wisdom-is-worried-for-being-slow-in-its-speech-and-expeditious-in-its/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [... I had a latent impression that there was something decidedly fine in Mr. Wopsle's elocution - not for old associations' sake, I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-had-a-latent-impression-that-there-was-something-decidedly-fine-in/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [The vulgar look upon a man, who is reckoned a fine speaker, as a phenomenon, a supernatural being, and endowed with some peculiargift of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-vulgar-look-upon-a-man-who-is-reckoned-a-fine-speaker-as-a/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Literature, the study of literature in English in the 19th century, did not belong to literary studies, which had to do with Greek, Latin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/literature-the-study-of-literature-in-english-in-the-19th-century-did/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [Someone suggested elocution lessons but there is no way I am changing my accent, I'm proud of my roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davies/someone-suggested-elocution-lessons-but-there-is-no-way-i-am-changing/)

[Sara Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-davies/)

> [ \[On the United States:\] A nation which does not appreciate that the simple elocution exercise 'Merry Mary married hairy Harry' contains not one but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/on-the-united-states-a-nation-which-does-not-appreciate-that-the/)

[Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/)

> [I took movement classes that I wore my double-breasted suits to. I worked on my elocution because people spoke differently then. I was really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/i-took-movement-classes-that-i-wore-my-double-breasted-suits-to-i/)

[Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/)

> [We have this wonderful language and we don't appreciate it. That's old-fashioned me, but when I went to school, everyone had elocution lessons, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-keith/we-have-this-wonderful-language-and-we-don-t-appreciate-it-that-s-old/)

[Penelope Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-keith/)

> [“Oh what a to-do to die today at a minute or two to two, a thing distinctly hard to say, but harder still to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-dragon/oh-what-a-to-do-to-die-today-at-a-minute-or-two-to-two-a-thing/)

[The Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-dragon/)

## More by Alexander Graham Bell

> [First words on the first telephone - "Mr. Watson - come here - I want to see you."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/first-words-on-the-first-telephone-mr-watson-come-here-i-want-to-see/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The Sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/concentrate-all-your-thoughts-upon-the-work-in-hand-the-sun-s-rays-do/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [We are all too much inclined, I think, to walk through life with our eyes shut. There are things all round us and right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/we-are-all-too-much-inclined-i-think-to-walk-through-life-with-our/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [ “Mr. Watson — Come here — I want to see you. \[ First intelligible words spoken over the telephone \]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/mr-watson-come-here-i-want-to-see-you-first-intelligible-words-spoken/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [I have heard articulate speech produced by sunlight I have heard a ray of the sun laugh and cough and sing! … I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/i-have-heard-articulate-speech-produced-by-sunlight-i-have-heard-a/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [“Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/concentrate-all-your-thoughts-on-the-task-at-hand-the-sun-s-rays-do/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [Such a chimerical idea as telegraphing vocal sounds would indeed, to most minds, seem scarcely feasible enough to spend time in working over. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/such-a-chimerical-idea-as-telegraphing-vocal-sounds-would-indeed-to/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/sometimes-we-stare-so-long-at-a-door-that-is-closing-that-we-see-too/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [One day every major city in America will have a telephone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/one-day-every-major-city-in-america-will-have-a-telephone/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [I do not recognize the right of the public to break in the front door of a man's private life in order to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/i-do-not-recognize-the-right-of-the-public-to-break-in-the-front-door/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [Dumbness comes from the fact that a child is born deaf and that it consequently never learns how to articulate, for it is by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/dumbness-comes-from-the-fact-that-a-child-is-born-deaf-and-that-it/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [When one door closes, another one opens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/when-one-door-closes-another-one-opens/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/there-cannot-be-mental-atrophy-in-any-person-who-continues-to-observe/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [Observe, Remember, Compare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/observe-remember-compare/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

> [What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/what-this-power-is-i-cannot-say-all-i-know-is-that-it-exists-and-it/)

[Alexander Graham Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

[Explore all 72 Alexander Graham Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/)

## More Accents quotes

> [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/)

[Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/)

> [“It's not my accent, but my brevity makes me stylish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/it-s-not-my-accent-but-my-brevity-makes-me-stylish/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/)

[G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/)

> [You can't live in a dialect without tremendous work. Like any muscle, accents and voices and languages are all formed out of the muscles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lake-bell/you-can-t-live-in-a-dialect-without-tremendous-work-like-any-muscle/)

[Lake Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lake-bell/)

> [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/i-don-t-think-you-see-a-pirate-with-a-parrot-on-his-shoulder-for/)

[Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/)

> [I'm a Yente and I have a terrible accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/i-m-a-yente-and-i-have-a-terrible-accent/)

[Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/)

> [In bed watching Family Guy. Love this show.! So hilarious! Stewie is my favorite :) love his accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/in-bed-watching-family-guy-love-this-show-so-hilarious-stewie-is-my/)

[Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/)

> [American accents often sound much more confident than British ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/american-accents-often-sound-much-more-confident-than-british-ones/)

[Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/)

> [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/)

[David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/)

> [Much of my playing is rhythmic and choppy; I use a lot of double stops. The wah just accents all those stops and chops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/much-of-my-playing-is-rhythmic-and-choppy-i-use-a-lot-of-double-stops/)

[Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/)

> [“The accent of one's birthplace persists in the mind and heart as much as in speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rouchefoucauld/the-accent-of-one-s-birthplace-persists-in-the-mind-and-heart-as-much/)

[La Rouchefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-rouchefoucauld/)

> [Years later, when I was working as a trolley wally in a supermarket, I tackled the boredom by talking to the customers in as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/years-later-when-i-was-working-as-a-trolley-wally-in-a-supermarket-i/)

[Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/)

> [I think Americans still can't help but respond to the natural authority of this voice. Deep down they long to be told what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oliver/i-think-americans-still-can-t-help-but-respond-to-the-natural/)

[John Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oliver/)

> [I live in L.A. so I worry my kids aren't that connected to Britain, I suppose I don't want them to become American kids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mckidd/i-live-in-l-a-so-i-worry-my-kids-aren-t-that-connected-to-britain-i/)

[Kevin McKidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mckidd/)

[Browse all 749 Accents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accents/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution have difficulties in understanding slow speech composed of perfect sounds, while they have no difficulty in comprehending an imperfect gabble if only the accent and rhythm are natural.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexander Graham Bell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phonetics-or-elocution-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accents"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phonetics-or-elocution-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/alexander-graham-bell-9356_accents_ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phon_2188562.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Ordinary people who know nothing of phonetics or elocution have difficulties in understanding slow speech…” — Alexander Graham Bell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexander Graham Bell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-graham-bell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Ordinary people who know nothing of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phonetics-or-elocution-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-graham-bell/ordinary-people-who-know-nothing-of-phonetics-or-elocution-have/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```