Ventriloquism – which means ‘to speak from the belly’ and comes from Latin “venter” (belly) and “loquitur” (to speak) – is one of the odder forms of popular entertainment. As you know, it is a type of performance in which the ventriloquist speaks in such a way that it appears as though their voice is coming from somewhere else, usually a puppet or doll, often referred to as a ‘ventriloquist’s dummy.’ From a technical perspective, ventriloquism is tricky, as the performer must speak with their lips almost closed, making it exceedingly difficult to pronounce labial sounds such as ‘p’ and ‘b’. The performance typically involves a ‘conversation’ between the performer and the dummy, often including cheeky or ribald humour.
Although some link ventriloquism to religious practices in ancient Greece, it emerged as a form of entertainment in England in the eighteenth century, with performers doing tricks such as appearing to speak from their hands or ‘throwing their voices’ so that they appeared to come from far away. By the early nineteenth century, dummies as we know them now were starting to be integrated into the act.
Throughout the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, ventriloquist acts remained popular. As the dummy rather than the human performer was notionally the one pushing the boundaries of good taste with their jokes, these acts provided greater artistic license, with the dummy acting as sort of surrogate prepared to say the things the performer wants to say, but doesn’t quite feel able to – a bit like an anonymous avatar on social media today. This flouting of linguistic, behavioural, and cultural norms places the ventriloquist’s dummy in a sort of “uncanny valley”, the negative emotional response towards robots and puppets that seem “almost” human. This might be one of the reasons why they’re so often featured in horror movies.
By the dawn of the twenty-first century, ventriloquism was in retreat, although it is still sometimes performed in talent shows and on social media, so there’s life in the old dog yet.
Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/closeup-photo-of-person-holding-peppet-squLHrr8XAU
