Edith Skinner’s vocal training techniques is extremely similar to Kristin Linklater’s which makes sense because Linklater was a student of Skinner’s. She believes there are four essential components of voice and speech. The first is the excitor, which is the force that triggers the production of voice. The respiratory muscles help regulate air which is needed to produce the voice. She believes if you are using your breath economically, you will have rhythmical endurance and good tone. The next is the vibrator, or vocal cords, which produces sound waves with breath. This is involuntary, but if done with relaxation, you will have a smooth tone preventing attacked vowel and diphthong sounds. The third is the resonators which reinforces and amplifies the sound waves. This involves mental and emotional response of the speaker as well. The final one is the articulators which helps shapes the breath. The articulators and excitors are the only parts of the voice the speaker can directly control (Skinner)

            Her work focuses primarily on vowels and consonants as well as the diphthong and triphthong sounds as part of the International Phonetic Alphabet. She defines a vowel sound as something that is made with an open flow of air, with breath flowing through the mouth. A diphthong sound is a blend of two vowel sounds together. A triphthong sound is a blend of three vowel sounds together. A consonant sound is made with a stopped or interrupted breath. She also defines the IPA as what notates the sounds of the worlds alphabets.