Ventriloquism is a performance act in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is simply ventriloquizing, and the ability to do so is commonly called in English the ability to "throw" one's voice.
Originally, ventriloquism was a religious practice. The name comes from the Latin for 'to speak from the belly. The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the nonliving, who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist. Ha ha. Isn't that funny. The ventriloquist would then interpret the sounds, as they were thought to be able to speak to the dead, as well as foretell the future. One of the earliest recorded groups of prophets to use this technique was Pythia, the priestess at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, who acted as the conduit for the Delphic Oracle.
Other parts of the world also have a tradition of ventriloquism for ritual or religious purposes; historically there have been adepts of this practice among the Zulu, Inuit, and Māori peoples.
The shift from ventriloquism as manifestation of spiritual forces toward ventriloquism as entertainment happened in the eighteenth century at travelling fun fairs and market towns. They simply performed with a small doll.By the late 18th century, ventriloquist performances were an established form of entertainment in England. However, other performers were beginning to incorporate dolls or puppets into their performance; among them.mane who "carries in his pocket, an ill-shaped doll, with a broad face, which he exhibits ... as giving utterance to his own childish jargon and many more.
One difficulty ventriloquists face is that all the sounds that they make must be made with lips slightly separated. For the labial sounds f, v, b, p, and m, the only choice is to replace them with others. A widely detailed example of this difficulty is the "gottle o' gear", from the reputed inability of less skilled practitioners to pronounce "bottle of beer". If variations of the sounds th, d, t, and n are spoken quickly, it can be difficult for listeners to notice a difference.
However, modern ventriloquists use multiple types of puppets in their presentations, ranging from soft cloth or foam puppets. The classic dummies used by ventriloquist vary in size anywhere from twelve inches tall to human-size and larger. Traditionally, this type of puppet has been made from papier or wood. In modern times, other materials are often used including fiberglass-reinforced resins, urethanes, filled (rigid) latex, and neoprene etc.
The plots of some films and television programs are based on "killer toy" dummies that are alive and horrific. Some psychological horror films have plots based on psychotic ventriloquists who believe their dummies are alive and use them as surrogates to commit frightening acts including murder. You can easily relate this with some viral recent performances of amazing artists around the world. And believe me that is what made me writing about this thing.
I personally like this performative art and a bit mad about it. From my childhood I had a hiddem dream to perform my own ventriloquism with a chicken! Ha ha ha!
That's all for today. See you soon. And of course, feel free to drop a comment and ahare what you thought about it. Till then...
Chillax!
©chrysanthemum
[Reference](Vox, Valentine I Can See Your Lips Moving, the history and art of ventriloquism (1993))
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