How different languages ​​use different facial muscles

What a workout!

Have you ever noticed that your face can feel different depending on the language you are speaking? Just as voicing multiple characters in quick succession can be a challenge, switching between languages ​​can also pose interesting muscular challenges. Does this happen to you?

Professional singers often have a repertoire of music with lyrics in various languages ​​ranging from Romance languages ​​to Germanic languages.

Apart from some obvious differences in diction and phrasing, singing in different languages ​​is a physical process that takes into account the shape of vowels, emphasis on consonants, and glottal stops along the way.

Native English speakers often find that singing in Romance languages ​​places the least demands on the facial muscles, while singing in German feels like a completely different experience, affecting the facial musculature in more demanding ways.

Your facial musculature includes everything from your jaw to your tongue. There are also other things to consider when speaking, such as where your tongue touches your teeth or which palate you’re using when forming vowels along with your tongue. There is more to the job when you talk than meets the eye.

Your muscles carry memories and know what to do when you see a word. You may have noticed that not only do your muscles have a memory, but you can also have a memory of your breath. This is particularly true if you remember where you need to breathe to set up a phrase, or if you’ve perfected a song.