Speaking Like Intelligent Men: Vocal Articulations of Authority and Identity in the House of Commons in the Nineteenth Century

This article focuses on the acoustic aspect of parliamentary government in nineteenth-century Britain, demonstrating the continued importance of speech and audibility for representatives in the reformed House of Commons. Notions of what constituted a proper parliamentary voice changed as electoral reforms, the rise of the “fourth estate,” and scientific discoveries in laryngology influenced evaluations of political speech. Most notably, rhetorical brilliance and a theatrical delivery lost legitimacy and were increasingly replaced by a “polite” and conversational style. The vocal sounds of modern, polite representatives were extensively transcribed and commented upon by journalists and satirists. By the end of the nineteenth century, the rise of the written press made the careful management of the vocal organs more, rather than less, politically relevant.