Distinctive voice refers to a variety of voice types and the function that voice plays in different texts. The personality or position of a speaker or character is reflected through voice. Distinctive voice can be used to represent an issue, a group of people, a set of values, a point of view or a variety of perspectives. All people have a distinctive voice; our voice is developed and changed through our experiences, interactions and understanding of the world. The language, the purpose and the manner of a distinctive voice influences audiences in, subtle, direct and powerful ways.
In the text Pygmalion; George Bernard Shaw has created and utilized incredibly distinctive voices to communicate the themes of his play, the being character transformation and the distinguishing parameters of social class.
The transformation of Eliza Doolittle from a poor flower girl to a lady of society depends upon her ability to speak phonetically correct- as identified by English society in the 20th century. The entire play centres on the transformation of the “flower girl’, that of her voice and of her manners as a way of defining her social class and life opportunities. The voice of Shaw is evident throughout the play and is shown through the voice of the characters.
Anthony Browne uses the voices of the characters within the picture book Voices In The Park to impress upon the reader the inequity and limitations of social class and division. The voice of the children is used to show the innocence and disregard for such division, where as the adults are used to show the pre-conceived and unjustified beliefs relating to social class.
Eliza’s transformation is evident in the third act when she visits Mrs Higgins at her “at home day”, “How do you do Mrs Higgins?” Eliza’s dialogue, full sentences and correct pronunciation demonstrate her metamorphosis.
In Voices in the park Anthony Browne uses the voices of each character to retell the same event that being a