Faults.of.speech-1916, Teachers' Manual

C 1423

-NRLF

^1

THE

FAULTS OF *

A

Self-Corrector

vA:..

AND

TEACHERS' MANUAL BY

ALEXANDER MELVILLE BELL

SIXTH' EDITION

WASHINGTON, D. C. THE VOLTA BUREAU, 1601 35TH 1916

ST. N.

W.

Copyright, 1898, by

THE VOLTA BUREAU

ALEXANDER MELVILLE BELL,

F.E.T.S,.

F.R S.S

A., F.A.A.A.S.

PREFACE. |

HIS I

ing 4 '

my

little

work supplies a want of which

have been frequently reminded durIn revising the professional career.

Principles of Speech and Vocal Plrysiology ".

for

a new edition in 1863, a section of the

to the "Cure of Stammerthe " Diction in another section and ing;" reference was made under ary of Sounds"

book was devoted

each consonant to the defects to which the

element was subject treatise

:

but a complete separate

on the FAULTS OF SPEECH has not

hitherto been published. I

am

glad to be able

still,

believe, will

the whole.

TUTELO HEIGHTS, BRANTFORD, OXT.,

add to

my

one which, I hope not the least useful of prove A. M. B.

professional publications

and

to

April, 1880.

CONTENTS. ELEMENTARY SOUNDS

1

Corrective Training Organic Defects

IMPEDIMENTS OF SPEECH Nervousness

Stammering a Habit Systems of Cure Self-effort

Necessary

5 7 .

.

.

.

9 10 11

12

...

.13

Temporary Relief THE CURE or STAMMERING The Breath. Atmospheric Pressure Air .

.

14

.17

.

;

Channels

;

Inspiration and Expira-

tion

17-18

The Voice.

Exercise, Continuity of Voice; How to learn Elementary

Sounds; Difficult Elements Organic Regulation. The Mouth;

.

19-23

The

Jaw; The Head; Spasmodic Actions

Self-Observation

Capricious Difficulties Aggravants of Difficulty

24-26

....

672799

.

.

.

27

28

.29

CONTENTS.

vi

MINOR FAULTS

30

Nasalizing

30

The

...... ......

Aspirate

Vocal Consonants Thickness of Speech ORATORICAL FAULTS

Conversational Slurring Sustained Voice

.

.

.

32 33 34 35

.35 36

Mai-Respiration

38

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS

40

POSTSCRIPT

APPENDIX

61 .

.

.

.

.

.

.

67

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

ELEMENTARY SOUNDS. HE

processes of speech are mechanical, but they are intimately associated with Sometimes the mechanical mental operations. |

processes are mismanaged, and sometimes the In the intellectual associations are imperfect. in latter case, expression is tardy or inexact ;

interrupted or vitiated. two kinds of defect may be combined, or

the former, utterance

The

either

may

exist

is

Stammering, mechanuh defects; drawling, hemming, and separately.

stuttering, etc. are, for the ical

uh the will ical

most

part,

hesitation are, in great measure, faults of The observations in this work

intellect.

have reference to

failures in the

execution of speech.

mechan-

HIE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

2

The not

fact that

,o:ie

Gp<;ak

(

person

"

everybody speaks," and yet thousand knows how he

in a

and that children talk the language

;

be

,of their nurses

it

English, French, Geror whatever else

nvu>,' "Italian, Indian, Patois,

proves that language

by imitation.

A

is

normally acquired

child imitates with

more or

accuracy the general effect of the sounds it hears but, in doing so, makes many substitutions of easier for more difficult actions

less

;

of the organs of speech. The lips and the forepart of the tongue are the first of the ar-

and ticulating organs to be brought into use u u tat" and "tate" in most cases sattum," ;

the child's apprehension of the words "come," "cat" and "cake." The action of the back of the tongue is often not acquired isfy

for years.

Infantile defects are unwisely en-

couraged by parents,

who

with the requisite

might enable their children to knowledge pronounce correctly as soon as they begin to There can be no doubt that prattle at all. the most serious blemishes and impediments arise from parental neglect or rather ignorance

in this respect.

When

a child says

"turn" for "come," and "tin" for "king,"

ELEMENTARY SOUNDS.

3

Jie correct articulation will be induced almost

at the

by the simple expedient of

first trial

holding down the forepart of the tongue with The effort to imitate the general the finger. effect will

then force the back of the tongue and in a few da}^s at most, the

into action

;

any assistance, form A;, g and ng where before it could only utter t, d and n. The "shut" consonants (p, t, k, b, d, g) are the most easily acquired, and children consequentty pronounce p instead of the more difficult /, and t instead of th. A few minutes child will, without

devoted to amusing exercise will conquer this

Thus: tell the child to bite his and blow, and he will form a tollip, erable / at once or to bite his tongue, and a and blow, passable th will be the result. The sounds of s and sh are often for a long time confounded also those of s and th. The sound of s will be obtained from th by drawing back or, if assistance is needed, by pushthe tip of the tongue till it is free ing back

difficulty.

lower

;

;

The teeth require to be very but there will be room to insert

from the teeth. close for

s,

the edge of a paper-cutter to play the tongue

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH. The sound of

into position.

sh will be ob-

tained from s by drawing or pushing back the body of the tongue till it is free from the

gum.

The

sibilation of

sli is

formed between

the middle of the tongue and the palate, modi fied by a degree of elevation of the point of

the tongue also

:

that of s

is

formed between

the point of the tongue and the upper gum, modified by a degree of convexity of the middle of the tongue and that of tli is formed between the tip of the tongue and the upper teeth, with the edges of the tongue flattened :

against the side teetn to obstruct the breath at all points but the tip.

The sounds of

/

and r are generally the

The

last

to be

mastered by a

th in

having the point of the tongue in congum) but the sides

child.

tact (preferably with the

I

resembles

,

of

the tongue, instead of being flattened against the teeth, are free from lateral con-

tact, so that the

R

resembles

s

breath passes over the sides, having the point of the

in

tongue raised to the upper gum, but the middle of the tongue, instead of being convex r depressed so that the breath strikes sharply on the free tip of the tongue. The sound of

is

CORRECTIVE TRAINING. y resembles sh in having the middle of the tongue arched towards the palate, but without the elevation of the forepart of the tongue,

which of

is

a necessary part of the modification

sh.

Corrective

A VERY ents would ulative

them

Training.

attention on the part of parsecure their children against artic-

little

blemishes which otherwise disfigure

for life

;

and which are often the

first

causes of the most painful impediments. Instead of being satisfied with the child's imperfect imitation of the general effect of concrete utterances in words and sentences, parents should require an exact reproduction

however slowly

of syllables, and, if ncc7 of This of course essaiy, elementar} sounds. that can themselves implies parents analyze their

Few

T

into s} llables and elements. can do so with entire accurac}' persons

utterance

:

but the attempt, though imperfect, will put the child in the right way to correct himself. Some children manifest a degree of inapti-

tude for speech, probably from defective imitation, or it may be from intellectual dulness ;

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

6

so that a child of three or four years of age will

be no farther advanced than an average two or three. The faculty of imita-

child of tion

becomes almost inoperative after the earliand special care should be given in?

est 3^ears,

such cases to establish a habit of distinct elementary and syllabic utterance so far aa ability extends, and to prevent the formation of a habit of defect. a child

who

word can be made or

its

It is certainty true that

pronounce the whole of a

fails to

to reproduce its s}'llables,

elements, one by one

est utterance is

;

made up of

and as the longs}'llables,

these

Faconly should be required of the learner. will come of combination with infallibly ility

and skill are displayed to utterance of the backthe analytic regulate practice, if patience

ward

child.

There

is

then no justification for allowing and other elementary

lisping, burring, lallation

defects to

become

fixed into habits.

True,

be corrected at any time, with but little trouble yet "prevention is better than cure,"

the}'

;

and such elementary disfigurements of aduli speech ought to have been rendered impossible by attention in the nursery and school-room.

ORGANIC DEFECTS.

1

Organic Defects.

ORGANIC causes of is

jaws

difficult}'

When

sent themselves.

sometimes pre-

the formation of the

such that the teeth cannot be brought

evenly in line, the sibilant sounds s and z will be defective ; when the tongue is too closety tied to the lower jaw, the

and r

may

tist

sounds of

,

d, n,

I

be wanting in clearness. The dendo much to rectify the former mal-

will

and the surgeon, by the simple operation of snipping the frsenum that binds the tongue, may give the requisite freedom in formation

;

the latter case.

A

more

serious organic cause of defective

speech is cleft palate, when an opening exists between the mouth and the nasal passage. The breath, which requires to be shut within

mouth for p-b, t-d, fc-g, escapes by the nose, and a percussive articulation is impossiIn most cases a skilful dentist can cover ble. the

in the palate by a suction-plate, and the power of clear enunciation may thus

the fissure

be obtained. to

Cleft palate causes all vowels but frequently the fault of

be nasalized

;

nasalizing vowels is merely habitual, without

,

8

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

any organic cause. As with the mechanism of consonants, so with that of vowels habits of mal-pronunciation may be prevented more and among other impereasily than rectified :

;

fections, that of nasalizing is perfectly susceptible

of preventive or corrective training.

IMPEDIMENTS OF SPEECH. JAR more

serious than any of the ele-

mentaiy defects hitherto noticed are

:

those affections of speech which create an impediment to utterance. These are known by the

names of

teristic is

stammering, spasTheir common charac-

stuttering,

.modic hesitation, etc.

involuntary action of the organs, In stutto the will.

which are not obedient

the lips and tering, the articulating organs rebound again and again before the tongue sequent vowel can find egress. The mouth opens and shuts in vain effort to act on the

and the throat opens and shuts in vain From the on the diaphragm. head to the chest there is a fluttering rocking in of the want precision attempt to general throat

;

effort to act

articulate.

In stammering, the breathing

is

the normal actions of the entirely deranged the breath Behest and diaphragm are reversed 9

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

10 is is

is

inspired in the attempt to speak the throat shut in the attempt to form sound the voice and the articufitfully ejected or restrained ;

;

;

lating organs able,

as if

hesitation silent

when they meet remain glued together.

there

is

insepar-

In spasmodic straining, often

a futile

and choking, but occasionally

frightfully

The

eyeballs protrude, the veins of the neck start out, the face is suf-

demonstrative.

fused and contorted, and the muscles of the whole body are spasmodically affected.

No

sharp line of demarcation can be drawn

between these varieties of impediment. Loose stuttering is apt to pass into compressive stammering from the dread of ridicule inspired by consciousness of peculiarity ; and the worst features of spasmodic difficulty ma}' supervene, from the increase of sensitiveness

and the bitterness of disappointed

effort.

Nervousness.

NOTWITHSTANDING the manifest nervousness of the majority of stammerers, they are rarelypersons of weak nerves under ordinary cir-

cumstances.

Their nervousness

only with speaking, and

it is

is

associated

much more

likely

STAMMERING A HABIT.

11

have arisen as a consequence of impedias many imagine ment, than to have been L a cause of the malady. The true cause probably lies far back in childhood, when some slight imperfection has been harshly corrected or mocked or when weakness of the systemafter illness has made the child peculiarly senThe slightsitive under ordinary difficulties. est beginning at that period may lead on to the most, aggravated form of impediment. to

;

Even a casual example may exite imitation when that faculty is the strongest

the time

at

in

nature, and so enslave the little mimic. Many isolated cases are believed to have had >ur

no other than

this

simple origin.

Stammering a Habit.

THE

frequent occurrence of

stammering

among members of the same family has

led

imagine that the affection was transmitted hereditarily, and that conse

many persons quently

it

to

was an incurable affliction of the But there is no ground for such

constitution.

a supposition, opposed as nature of the impediment speech, which

is

it is

to the manifest

pertaining only to

altogether artificial and no-

12

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

A

full conpart of our physical endowment. sideration of the subject and a wide experience with all varieties of the impediment lead

to the settled conviction v

>a

that stammering

the formation of which

habit only

may

is

be

entirely prevented in childhood the

by precautionary training growth of which may be easily checked before it is aggravated by the excitements of school and the uprooting of ;

;

which ma}' be accomplished at any. stage by intelligent care

and perseverance.

Systems of Cure.

THE

stammerer's difficulty

for effective assistance.

is

:

where to turn

Certainly not to an}'

pretender who veils his method in convenient " charm secrecy, nor to an}' who profess to c 4

or to effect a cure in awa}' the impediment a single lesson Not to any whose "system" !

involves drawling, singing, sniffing, whistling,

stamping, beating time

all

of which expedi-

ents have constituted the "curative"

means

nor to any who bridle the mouth with mechanical appliances forks

of various charlatans

;

on the tongue, tubes between the lips, bands in the mouth, etc.,

over the larynx, pebbles

SELF- EFFORT NECESSARY.

1&

The habit of stammering can only be etc. counteracted by the cultivation of a habit of correct speaking

founded on the application

of natural principles. is

Respecting these there arises from the little

no mystery except what

attention that has been paid to the science of

speech. Instruction must be sought from teachers whose professional position is a guarantee

against deception. If no encouragement were given by too credulous stammerers to the craft

of unqualified u professors," respectable teachers would prepare themselves by special study for this

important department of work, and.

the stammerer's perplexity to find trustworthy skill would be at an end. Self-effort

BUT with

Necessary.

the best assistance the stammerer

must work out

his

own

passive in the matter.

He cannot be He must clearly ap-

cure.

prebend the principles on which he is to proNor must ceed, and diligently apply them. he, in this,

depend too much on the watchful-

ness of his instructor, but must learn to watch over himself. His perfect release from the

14

T1IE

FAULTS OF SPEECH.

habit will require time, patience, and hopeful energetic effort.

Temporary IMMEDIATE temporary

Relief. relief

from the chok-

ing and spasmodic contortions of the impediment is generall}' obtained when the art of

and this managing the breath is acquired The stammerer often in a single lesson.

is is

apt to be unduly elated at this stage, and to

A

relapse is aim oat certain to be the consequence. Besides, other functional difficulties will present themselves, relax his watchfulness.

-each of

ageous

which must be encountered in a courand mastered separately.

spirit,

The following practical directions are designed for the use of stammerers who may attempt their own cure, as well as for the guidance of parents, governesses and school teachers.

I

PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOK

THE

CURE OF STAMMERING AND

MINOR DEFECTS.

THE CURE OF STAMMERING. The Breath.

Atmospheric Pressure.

|N normal breathing the lungs are filled by atmospheric pressure, to the extent of the cavity within the chest. There is no no effort. In deep breathing, as besuction fore a sigh, the inspiration is equally easy and unlabored.

The

cavity within the chest is in-

creased by descent of the diaphragm the muscular base of the chest as well as by the ribs, expansion of the bony framework

but atmospheric pressure fills out the etc. lungs to occupy the entire space created within the chest.

Air Channels.

THE :

external apertures for the entrance of mouth and nostrils. Both these

,he air are the

passages meet behind the mouth, in the pliarfnx and the pharynx communicates with the ;

17

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

18

At

windpipe.

tween

the top of the windpipe, beis the organ of

and the pharynx,

it

laiynx through which all air entering the lungs, and all breath leaving them, must pass. In order to make inspiration Voice

silent

the

and

effortless there

tion or constriction in

Stammerers attempt

must be no obstruc-

any part of the passage.

to

"draw"

the aperture of the larynx

is

in air while

either closed or

greatly narrowed, and even while the mouthpassage is similarly obstructed by positions of the tongue. The first point to be impressed

on the

stammerer's

mind, then,

is

that the

that no effort of suction lungs fill themselves is required but that if he merely raise the ;

chest, with the passage to the

windpipe open, he cannot prevent the lungs from filling .

Inspiration

and Expiration.

NEXT, considering that air entering the lungs and breath escaping from them must pass through the same channel, it is obvious that the

must be

and expiration and cannot possibly take

acts of inspiration alternate,

place simultaneously.

endeavour to draw

Stammerers, however,

in air at the

same time that

THE VOICE.

li>

they are making muscular efforts to expel the breath. The first condition of free respiration

L

then, a silent pause to replenish the lungs

is,

Again, in stammering, the chest is violently heaved and pressed down, and the action of the diaphragm is downwards instead of upwards. The action of the diaphragm may be distinctly seen in the

motion of the abdomen.

When

the diaphragm falls (in inspiration) the abdomen slightly protrudes and when the ;

rises (in expiration) the

diaphragm falls

but

inward.

little

;

it

The

abdomen

chest should rise and

fall

should be kept moderately raised

throughout speech, and the principal action of The respiration should be in the diaphragm. requisite motion, however, is very slight, and The stammerer entirely free from jerking.

must practise the acts of inspiration and

\

ex-

piration until they are practically, as well as theoretically, faultless.

The VOICE

is

formed by the breath

wardj>assage setting c)f

Voice. in its_jaut-

in vibration the edges

the aperture of the larynx the glottis. Stammerers often endeavour to form voice with,

^

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

20

ingoing air

;

but in general

glottis in the effort to vocalize.

the}'

close

the

^

This of course

stops the breath, and hence the, choking and other distressing symptoms of the impediment. the material of Speech. This fact,^ meaning, the stammerer has to learn. His efforts are always directed elsewhere than

Voice

is

in all its

organ of voice. He moves the head, he moves the jaw, he moves the tongue, he moves his limbs, in the vain attempt to force to the

out sound, the production of which he is all the time preventing, by closing the passage

through which only voice can come. Voice being the material of speech, the speaker must

have voice, whatever else he lacks. The stammerer must not stint himself of this material, nor must he cut it into shreds and fragments ;

but he must acquire command of a unbroken stream of sound. Exercise

full,

strong,

Continuity of Voice.

HAVING mastered

the art of regulating the next step must be to the stammerer's breath, continuous the production of voice. practise He should confine himself to this exercise until

he has become perfectly familiar with

all

*

ELEMENTARY SOUNDS.

21

vocal elements repeating them first one by one, then in long sequences, and then in combinations, but always without a break in the ;

continuity of the sound. The following are the elements for this ex>

ercise, all of

Hum

which may be prolonged ad

lib-

:

a, 1,

e,

i,

m,

o, u,

ah, aw, oo, oi, ou

n, ng, v, dh,

z,

;

zh, w, y.

These elements are not to be considered as

"vowels" and

tfc

r consonants," but simply as which each of has the same voices, precisely sound in the throat their differences arising ;

solely from the shape of the mouth-passage. It must be carefully noted that the names of the letters will be useless for this exercise ;

the actual

sounds of the elements must be

pronounced.

How

to

Learn Elementary Sounds.

THE reader unaccustomed sis will

have no

to phonetic analy*

difficulty in isolating the act-

ual elementary sounds, if ne will simply prolong for some seconds the elements printed in

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

22

capitals in the following words, as

pronounced

feeL, seeM, vaiN,

iS(z), rouGe(zh)

End, Us,

commonly

:

;

soNG, leaVe, wiTH(dh), We, Yes, Ale, An, EEL

Isle(ahee), In, Old, On, Use(yoo). (ah), All (aw), OOze, OWl(ahoo),

Arm

Oil (awee) The use to be made of the power which will be developed by this exercise is all-important, .

The

sensation of throat-action must never be

When

lost in speaking.

cline to false effort, the

old tendencies in-

stammerer

will

feel

himself off the voice, like a locomotive off the rails. Then, instead of plunging about wildly

random, he must stop, and carefully put

at

himself upon the track again. There are three elements of speech which

have obstructed vocality, and cannot be proThese are B, D, and G (as in go) longed. The}' are often terrible stumbling-blocks to the

stammerer but isman is VOICE :

:

his !

never to be forgotten talmouth-action must be

No

allowed to interfere with throat-sound

There

is

!

another class of elements which

entirely non-vocal, and which therefore tend strongly to throw the stammerer off the

are

' '

DIFFICULT ELEMENTS. These are P, T, K, F,

voice."

Sh, H.

23

Wh,

Each of these should be

Th, S,

practised

separately, in connection with a vowel with the principle constant!}" before the

and

;

mind

that no mouth-action must be allowed to interfere with the flow

of throat-sound.

Difficult

Elements.

ELEMENTS that present

special difficult}'

must

made

the subject of special exercise, thus Prolong any throat-sound, say the vowel a/i, and without stopping the sound introduce the

be

:

mouth-action to be practised, say B, thus

ah It will

bah

bah

bah

bah,

:

etc.

be found that the mouth-action does

not interfere with the continuity of the throatsound. The exercise must be continued until

two kinds of eleand established in the

the true relation between the

ments

is

distinctly felt

mind.

The mouth

relation

between the throat and the

in speech will be understood

when

it is

stated to be the same as that between the

the mouth sound-producing part of \\\Q flute the hole and the sound-modifying parts

-

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

24

The

finger-holes.

action of the fingers modi-

without interrupting, the sound produced and so the mouth-actions at the mouth-hole fies,

;

speech modify, without interrupting, the sound produced in the throat. This relation in

must be established

practically, in connection

with the elements of speech, in cases of stammering, and all difficulty, and dread of difficulty, will certainly sooner or later disappear. few other directions will complete all

A

that

is

necessary to be attended to in overcom-

ing the habit of stammering.

The Mouth a Tube.

FROM what has been understood

that

all

already said, effort

it

will be

thrown into the

mouth, jaw, lips or tongue, is futile. The mouth should be as nearly as possible passive, a mere tube or funnel for the deliveiy of throatsound. The mouth-tube is constantly varying in

shape

;

but

it

is

always a transmitter only,

and never an originator of sound.

The Jaw.

A

GREAT deal of the stammerer's

will consist in

difficulty

subduing the upward pressure

THE HEAD.

2&

of the jaw. Whatever action the jaw has" should be downward but there must be no

1

;

The the right direction. of back of the effort speech practice throwing to the throat will, however, speedily relieve pressure, even

in

the tendency of the mouth-organs to cling together.

When

mechanical assistance ma}' be neces-

T

a paper-cutter held against the edges ot the upper teeth will manifest an}r undue upsar}

,

ward motion of the jaw, while it will not prevent the mouth from opening. The papercutter must not be held between, or by, the teeth. When the maxillary difficulty has been overcome, the lower teeth should not once touch the paper-cutter, in reading or speaking.

A in

gentle contact will be almost unavoidable forming the hissing sounds, but even this

should be prevented in curative exercise.

t

The Head.

A

LOOSE rising motion of the head

is

almost

a universal feature in stammering. This must be subdued before power can be obtained over the organs of speech. The head should be firmly on the neck, so that even a con-

I

r '

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

56

pressure would not force same time there should be no

back

siderable

it

At

stiffness

the

to interfere with free motion.

The

fault con-

head, as a part of the action and it is often a source of very

sists in lifting the

of speech

;

great difficulty. The jaw cannot be controlled while its fulcrum, the head, is unstable and yielding.

Spasmodic Actions.

WITH

reference to the spasmodic actions of stammering, which sometimes extend over the

whole bod}', no

specific directions are needed.

The} invariably disappear when the breathing T

is relieved.

There

is

nothing to prevent a stammerer

who will thoroughly master the principles laid down in this Treatise and diligently and watch fully exercise his voice,

from perfectly throw-

Many ing off the fetters of impediment. exercises will be found in the Author's "Principles of

Speech," which will be of service.

But, while a study of the whole subject, and .a knowledge of all the organic actions, as exhibited in " Visible Speech," are desirable, if -not

necessary, for teachers, stammerers should

SELF- OB SEE VA TION.

27

mot allow the mind to be diverted from the direct

and simple means of cure

sufficiently

set forth in these pages.

Self- Observation.

ONE important hint remains With all persons speech-actions habitual faults

that without

m&y

watchful

to be given. are so purely

observation

long remain undiscovered.

This

is especially true in reference to the minutiae

of the organic actions on the rectification of which success depends in cases of defect or The stammerer will therefore impediment. find the use of a

mirror a most valuable auxil-

iary in his efforts at self-correction. In carrying out the prescribed principles for the

regulation of the breath, the control of the head and the jaw, the proper mechanism of elementary sounds, etc., let the stammerei seat himself before a mirror,

and he

will learn

man} things of which he might otherwise have Even teachers, in -continued unconscious. r

dealing

with defects

and

impediments

of

speech, should place their pupils before a mirror, as the readiest means of giving them command over the organs of articulation. To

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

8

this use of the principle of "reflection" as an

aid to self-government, the poet's denunciation of "Attitude and stare, and start theatric Practised at the glass,"

has no applicability. The vocal action of singers, as well as speakers, would less fre-

quently offend the eye

if

students were taught

to exercise the voice before a glass, that they

might "see themselves as others see them." Capricious

Difficulties.

a very curious circumstance that stammerers who are powerless in the presence of IT

is

or strangers, generally declare that

friends

they can speak freely when alone. however, or even a cat, in the room to destroy their freedom.

make of

this fact should

A is

child,

enough

The proper use to be to build on it as

a ground of hopefulness and confidence for it proves that no organic cause exists to prevent success, and thus disposes of the mys;

terious

dread of physical entailment.

stammerers

are often the

But

victims of man}-

equalty groundless fancies: supposing their to be affected certain states of the infirmity by

OF DIFFICULTY.

29

atmosphere, the direction of the wind, or the Those who look for phases of the moon !

such associations are pretty sure to find them.

But they carry the seekers back to the clays to da}'s of of witchcraft and the "evil eye" ignorance

!

Aggravants of

THE

Difficulty.

function of articulation

other function

is,

like

T

ever} of course, affected by the

condition of the health

deranged digestion,

depression of spirits, physical debility, etc. but these aggravants are not to be confounded ;

with original causes of the difficulty. The former will disappear and still leave the latter behind.

The stammerer must

superstitious work to stud}' T

edl}

find

fears

and

cast off idle

fancies,

and observe. that "

Knowledge

He is

and

will

set to

undoubt-

power;" and

that, with knowledge, "Patience and perseverance will conquer all difficulties."

MINOR FAULTS. Nasalizing.

JHE

soft palate

which hangs at the back

of the mouth acts as a valve on the

When the top of the passage to the nose. soft palate is arched backwards from its point of junction with the hard palate, it covers the internal nasal aperture, and the breath passes altogether through the mouth. When the soft palate is relaxed and pendent from the edge of the hard palate, the breath passes partly through the nose and partly through the

mouth and when the mouth-passage is closed (by means of the back of the tongue, as in ng; ;

forepart of the tongue, as in n; or the as in m) the breath passes altogether by the nose. knowledge of these facts willthe

lips,

A

enable any person to correct the habit of nasalizing vowels.

The

chief

80

difficult}- lies in

the recognition

NASALIZING.

31

by the ear of pure oral and mixed nasal qualThe action of the soft palate ma}-, howity.

by opening the mouth very wide pronouncing the vowels ah and aw. Then, by pressing on the top of the soft palate with the thumb, or with the india-rubber end of a ever, be seen, in

pencil, the internal nasal aperture will be cov-

ered,

and the utterance of ah and aw

will

be

Repeat these vowels with and purely oral. without the mechanical pressure, and after a few experiments the ear will distinguish the difference between oral and nasal. Practice

on other vowels, in forming which the soft palate cannot be seen, will soon develop a feeling of the difference. But the readiest way to gain a perception of the denasalizing action of the soft palate will be by the following exercise :

Sound the consonants ing the

lips,

m

b without separat-

as in pronouncing the

The change from

m

word ember.

to b is nothing

more than

the covering of the nasal aperture by the soft and the change from b to m, without palate separating the lips, as in the word submit, is ;

merely the uncovering of the nasal aperture.

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

32

The tendencj to nasalize vowels is most felt when they occur immediately before or after 7

nasal

m, n or ng

consonants

but

many

persons nasalize every vowel.

The French elements ^m,

etc., are

an, en, in, on, un, am, nasalized vowels. merety

The Aspirate.

H

THE

letter represents a simple and nearly emission of breath. The organs of speech are placed in the position for the sub-

silent

sequent vowel before the emission of the aspirate.

Thus h

in the

words

lie,

hay, hie, hoe,

hah, etc., has the oral quality of the vowel it The aspirate is not the same as a precedes.

whispered vowel,

hand and

for the

ana*, hold

and

clearly distinguishable

H is

words

oZo",

his

and

is,

hart and art are

when whispered.

sometimes roughened

tural quality.

To

faultily by a gutcorrect this habit, breathe

out the aspirate silently. The Cockney confusion of vowels rates is

and

aspi-

a remarkable fault which will disap-

pear when learners are taught phonetically in the abecedarian stage of education. The same

person who says

all for hall

pronounces

hall

VOCAL CONSONANTS.

33

and so proves that the perverse habit due only to defective elementary training. is omitted in pronouncing the words heir, honest, honour, hour, humour, and their derivIt should be pronounced in herb, hosatives. pital, humble, and all other words. H is heard instead of wh, before o, as in

for all, is

H

who, whose, whom, whole. Vocal Consonants.

THE

following consonants are respectively that of vocal and non-vocal elements pairs is, the consonants in the second column have ;

precise^ the same oral formation as those in the first column, but with the addition of throat-sound or murmur. vocal.

non-vocal.

P

B

T

D

K

G

F

V

W

WH

Z ZHasinrmon.

S

SH TR&sinthin

CH as

as in go.

TH(=
in church

X (= Jcs)

as in extend

.

.

.

X (= gz) as in exist

.

.THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

34

These pairs of consonants are confused by and Welsh speakers, who substitute non-vocal for vocal elements and by German speakers, who mix up the elements sometimes Gaelic

;

by a similar substitution, but more frequently by the use of vocal instead of non-vocal elements. Careful exercise and observation will remove these difficulties. entirely Thickness of Speech.

THE

consonants

,

d, n,

Z,

r,

are

correct-

\y formed by the point of the tongue acting u against the upper gum but in thick" speech ;

the tongue acts against the teeth, or the point rests on the lower teeth and the above ele-

ments are imperfectly formed by the surface of the tongue.

This fault

is

unavoidable when

the tongue is so tied to the bed of the jaw that But "thickness" the point cannot be raised.

has not alwa}'s this excuse it is often the result of a childish habit of sucking the tongue, ;'

that should have been

"put away" with the

years of childhood. The more sharpty the tongue can be pointed upwards, the better will and r be formed. The tongue should , c?, n, Z,

never touch the lower teeth in speech, and

it

CONVERSATIONAL SLURRING.

35

should never come between the teeth except for the single element tli dli, and then to a very slight extent. In fact, th is best formed with the tongue behind, instead of between, the teeth.

ORATORICAL FAULTS. Conversational Slurring.

WHEN

a person unaccustomed to public has occasion to address an audience, speaking his words seem to run together, and it is only with the greatest difficulty that their purport can be gathered by a hearer at a little distance. He is called on to "speak out" and " speak up," but increase of force is of little avail. has to learn the difference between speak-

He

ing and mumbling. Conversational speech

is,

in general, very

be written down exactly Could slovenl}'. as we hear it, the speaker would not recognize it

the unintelligible jargon.

Thus

:

Convsashnlspeech zngenlveslovnly. This

is

utterance

The

not an exaggeration of the kind of that passes current in social life.

chief

element

of

distant

audibility

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

36

is so curtailed and more than mouth-actions

throat-sound, or voice slurred out. that

little

remain.

Sustained Voice.

THE

very reverse must be the relation of mouth in oratorical speech. Conso-

throat to

nants

may be

softened to any degree,

but

vowels must be given fully and with swelling

Thus

clearness.

:

srEEcn

Is IN

GENER-

AL VERY SLOVENLY. But too

possible to soften the consonants to soften them away altogether, as

it is

much

;

we hear from some yaw-yaw-yaw speakers whose utterance

is

Vox

et

preterea nihil.

In good delivery every element should be its proper relation to other elements

heard in

;

every syllable in

its

proper relation to other

every word in its proper relation to syllables other words every sentence in its proper relation to other sentences. ;

;

Sustained vocality is the secret of good This quality has perhaps

oratorical speech.

SUSTAINED VOICE.

37

never been better illustrated than in the case of the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, who, with no apparent

effort, in

the vast Agricultural Hall, at

London, made himself distinctly heard by an assemblage of twenty-five thousand persons.* There could, of course, be no undue softening of the consonants in such delivery, nor, on the other hand, was any Islington,

harshness or prominence of consonant-action perceptible even to the nearest auditor.

Some

coarseness of effect to ears in the im-

mediate vicinity of a speaker is almost unavoidable in order to secure effectiveness at a distance. Oratory is in this respect analogous to scene-painting: the canvas which charms by the softness of its depictions when viewed

from the proper standpoint,

is

often incredibly

rough to a close inspector. The speaker, then, * I

was present on one of

the occasions.

I got as

near

to the speaker as possible, with the view of studying his management of the vocal bellows; but I could discover no

All was easy and natural. was within five feet of the speaker; and a friend with whom I was to compare notes took the most distant seat from the platform. We counted the audience by means of the

unusual labour or straining. I

uniform sections into which the seats were arranged, and found the number of hearers was upwards of 25,000. The nearest ear was not offended by bellowing the most distant lost no syllable. :

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

38

without offence lay on his vowel lights and shades in masses and give corresponding strength and firmness to his consonant out-

may

,

lines, in order to produce the right effect in the farther corners and galleries of his auditorium.

It is to

good

be noted that the percussiveness of speech is not due to chest-

oratorical

action

which would be laborious

but to

expansibility of the pharynx, the cavity at the back of the mouth and above the throat. Dis-

tension of the pharynx may be plainly seen in the neck of a player on the bugle or cornet-apiston.

Mai - Respiration

THE many suffer;

.

exhaustion after vocal effort from which public speakers, especially clergymen, the " clerical sore- throat," which by

its frequency has won for itself a place in medical terminology and the wild outbursts of vociferation which throw the whole physical ;

frame into violent action, are due to mismanagement of the "vocal bellows."

The principles of easy, natural, powerful respiration are fully explained in the earlier

MAL- RESPIRATION.

39

Let public speakers develop the solidity of chest and mobility of diaphragm prescribed for the enfranchisement sections of this work.

of stammerers from their spasms of difficulty, and the oratorical defects associated with mal-

and which are so often painful will be unknown. consequences

respiration their

in

Oratorical defects in the expressive

ment of the tion, are

these

voice,

by

inflection

extremely common.

manageand modula-

In reference to

the reader is referred to the Author's

"Principles of Elocution."* *

Fourth edition,

1878.

Salem, Mass., J. P. Bui-bank.

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

GREAT

variety of the minor defects

of speech arise from the substitution of one part for another of the oral organs. The correction of such defects presents no difficulty who is familiar with the true formation

to one

The following ordinary defects of directions given should render

of the elements of speech. classification

embraces

The

this kind.

all

self-correction a hopeful undertaking in

case,

any however long-established may be the

habit.

One plan of exercise should regulate teacher The attempt to or self-corrector in all cases. introduce a

speaking

new element

will

at once in reading or

never succeed.

Awkwardness

and habit will defeat the best efforts of unaccustomed organs. Elementary power must Thus first be gained. :

40

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

41

Pronounce the element separately again and again, until it becomes easy of formation.

I.

II.

Practise

its

combination with a single vowel, this form of exercise until

and continue

rapid reiteration becomes easy. consonant com-

III. Practise separately all the

binations into which the element enters.

IV. Pronounce words or sentences containing the element repeating each quickly. .

V. Introduce the corrected element

in read-

by slightly holding or prolonging it at each recurrence, until the habit is formed of articulating it correctly without special ing,

effort.

One hour of systematic exercise regulated as above, will do more than a week of desultory effort.

THIS

is

LD

for G.

generally an infantile defect, and

easily corrected (see page 3) are made for its removal at will continue to disfigure

When we *

k

dood"

;

but if no efforts an early age, it

even adult speech.

hear a grown-up boy or girl sa} ing T

for good,

and "dive"

very natural assumption

is

for give, the

that there

must be

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

42

a congenital cause for the defect. But this is a mistake. The action of the back of the

tongue only requires to be developed. Hold down the forepart of the tongue, and the back will be compelled into action. Give this mechanical assistance in pronouncing the words gay, guy, go, gawk, gag.

An

hour's exercise should cure this defect.

It is a curious fact that perhaps three-fourths

speakers unconsciously substitute d for the initial combination gl, as in glad* Indeed, the resemblance in sound glide, etc. is so close that only a watchful ear will dis-

of

all

g in

cover the difference.

Try

:

dlad, dlide, dlow, dlove, dlory, dloom. glad, glide, glow, glove, glory, gloom.

n.

THE

*Mf*

formation of

'

.

as that letter

is

pro-

nounced before a vowel, requires the tip of the tongue to be pointed towards the upper gum. In this defective substitution the tongue lies flat, and acts forward against the teeth, giving the sound of a soft dli (= th as in then) instead ,

of

r.

Thus

:

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

43

"Apdlietty intedhesting bdhide."

A prett}

T

interesting bride.

Inability to raise the tongue is generally the

To effect a perfect cure the tongue may require to be loosened but careful exercise will, in most cases, develop sufficient .power to make a good though uncause of this defect.

;

r without an operation.

trilled

III.

I?

for S.

one of the many forms of defect from arising inactivity of the forepart of the Sometimes a slight s-ward motion is tongue. THIS

is

made by the tongue at the same time that the lip's movement gives sharpness to the sibilation. To correct this defect, hold down the lower ing

lip,

and see the

teeth, while pronounc-

s.

IV.

F for

'

Tli.

THIS defective substitution

arises

from the

same cause as the preceding

sluggishness of the tongue. To correct it, hold down the lower lip and see the teeth while pronouncing

th.

F and th are so much alike in phonetic effect

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

44

that this substitution might almost pass unnoticed by one who did not see the speaker's

The resemblance

mouth.

the following experiment

will

be manifest in

:

featre, fimble. firty, Jirty-free, free, three, thirty, thirty-three, theatre, thimble.

V.

THIS

is

the defect

Gh

for R.

commonly

called

" Burr-

in which the back of the tongue is brought into action instead of the point. The sound has all the varieties of the front-lingual

ing,"

smooth, when the soft palate is approximated to the back of the

vibration

merely

and rough, when the uvula is rattled the against tongue. This defect sometimes arises from tonguetongue

;

tiedness, but is very often a mere habit acquired by imitation. The cure is by no means difficult.

To

bring the point of the tongue aw and lift the

into action, prolong the vowel

tongue till it almost touches the edge of the palatal arch. Repeat the action a number of times without stopping the vowel sound. In this way the characteristic vibratip of the

tion of r will be gradually developed.

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

45

The tongue in this exercise may be raised so close to the palate as to produce the effect of d

but softly, and without pressure, thus

aw

daw

daw

daw

daw

,

;

etc.

Gradually endeavour to maintain the tongue in this close

approximation to the palate

the time that a continual vocal buzz

This

is

a rudimental

is

Practice on this

r.

all

heard.

new

element, according to the directions on page 41, will complete the cure.

When the tongue is

too

much

tied to the

bed

of the jaw, the true vibration cannot be perbut the fectly acquired without an operation ;

"burring" may at least be discontinued, and an approximately distinct r substituted. VI.

THIS substitution

L is

ren, the articulation of

for E.

common among I

child-

being easier than that

The Chinese never pronounce r, but L The two sounds are produced by the action of the same part of the tongue the point at the same part of the palate

of

r.

substitute

;

the upper gum the difference being that the voice passes over the tip of the tongue for r :

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

46

and over the sides

for

I.

The

alternation of

these letters in words and sentences presents a difficulty to most persons; as in " Truly

" Rob ran along the lane in the of red raw, liver,'* etc.* lump

rural."

"A

VII.LU THE

for

S

or

rain."

Sli.

and sh are produced by the

sibilants s

breath passing along a central channel over the tongue arched towards the palate, and with more or less elevation of the point. This defect consists in passing the breath over one or both sides of the tongue, as in forming I

The I apertures are narrowed so as to cause a hissing, not unlike that of the true sibilants. To correct this fault, the first

without voice.

point

is

central

to concentrate the breath in a single

The channel of

channel.

r

may be

used as a guide and the channel of y will also be available. Substitute r without voice for ;

"

the defective cluttering" s voice for the defective sh.

;

and y without

arching the middle of the tongue while the point is in the and by position for r, s will be produced

By

;

*

and other difficult combinations be found in the Author's " Principles of Speech and

Many exercises on

will

these

Dictionary of Sounds.'*

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

47

raising the front of the tongue while the middle is in the position for y, sh will be produced.

The sounds obtained may at first be very imPerperfect, but they will work into form. as often happens some experimental haps or accidental shift may strike the true position

and end

all difficult}^.

The

hisses must,

how-

ever, be perfected as elements before an}' attempt is made to introduce them into words

and sentences. VIII.

&,

N for

Ng.

CHILDREN who pronounce d for g and t for of course sound n instead of ng. But the

substitution

ing

is

very

speakers in

less

common

also

among

care-

pronouncing the termination

as in meetin, eatin, and dririkin, for meet-

:

and drinking. This substitution universal in Scotland. In the words length and strength the ng is very apt to be changed ing, eating is

into

n

The sounds

for ease of pronunciation.

and ng are pronounced by the very same organic action contact and separation of the back of the tongue and the soft pal-

of

&,

(/

the differences being that k g vocal, and ng naso-vocal. ate

:

is

non- vocal,

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

48

IX.Ngfor THIS substitution

is

a not

L.

uncommon accom-

paniment of burring, arising from the same or habitual difficulty in raising inabilit}the point of the tongue. The effect of ng at the beginning of a syllable is very peculiar, as that element is never initial in English. Thus :

ngove, ngord, ngady, nget love,

lord,

let

lady,

weng angonc. well

alone.

The formation of I has been explained above

Some assistance in correcting (see page 45) this defect will be obtained, at first, by holding .

the nostrils, to prevent emission of sound the nose.

X. THIS

is

Ng

by

for N.

an allowed assimilation, not a defect, before k in the same syllable r

when n occurs as in

inyk, rangk, ink, It

would be

rank,

difficult

mongk, trungk. monk, trunk. to articulate n in these

words.

The same

substitution

of ng for

?i

taKes

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS. but not uniformly

place

before g;

49 as in

angger, fingger, longger, langguage.

anger,

finger,

language.

longer,

T Foreigners are unnecessarily puzzled b} the

Anomaly between such words and hanger, singer, wronger, etc., where the ng represents a single consonant.

XLNgg for THIS

Ng.

a Cockney peculiarity, occurring chiefly where ng is followed by a vowel, as in is

slugging, sing-g-a song.

singing,

The at

first

sing a song.

correction of this defect will be assisted

by a

slight stop

between the ng and the

vowel.

XII.

THE

Nh

effect represented

for S.

by

nil is

n without

a simple breathing through the nose while the tongue is in the position for n. This

voice

generally attributed to a congenital cause but when it occurs as the sinorganic gle nasal peculiarity of a speaker, it may be

defect

is

;

confidently pronounced to be merely a correc-

50

THE.

FAULTS OF SPEECH.

tible habit. Assistance will be derived at first from a mechanical prevention of nasal emission by pinching the nostrils and also by ;

blowing a feather off the hand held before the mouth.

When the

oral emission has thus been obtained

means already prescribed

s sibilation (see

page 46)

,

for acquiring the be effectual

m

will

curing the ungainly sniffling of this defect.

XIII.

S

for Sh, and Sli for S.

THESE two forms of

defective sibilation will

be corrected by the means pointed out in preThe shades of difference in vious* sections. hissing sounds are numerous many sibilations are heard of an intermediate kind, and which :

partake more or less of the characteristics of

one or the other of the representative sibilants. Organic malformation sometimes prevents a as irregularly of the perfect rectification teeth inability to close the jaws projecting ;

;

but even in the worst or retreating jaw, etc. of such cases, improvement will follow intelligent

effort.

In

all

cases where no malforma-

tion exists, the sibilants

normal standard.

may

be adjusted to a

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS. The

51

teeth require to be very close in pro-

s and sh. They should not touch, but their separation can not be greater than the thickness of a paper-cutter without produc-

nouncing

some peculiarity. The alternation of

ing

and

s

and sh

like that

of r

presents a difficulty to most persons, as in "Such a sash." shot silk sash." I

"A

"

A shabby sash," S

XIV.

etc.*

for

Th and

Z for

Dh.

THIS substitution is made by French speakwhose native language does not contain the sounds of tli and dh. Imitation might be expected to teach the foreigner so obvious an

ers,

articulation

;

yet those

who have spoken Eng"I

for years may still be heard saying sink" for I think, and " zat" for that. lish

A few

minutes' exercise suffices to cure this defect.

XV. THE

T for

K.

on page 41 " D for

directions given

rection of the defect

to the kindred * See note,

page

46.

elements

6r,"

t

and

for the cor-

apply equally &,

which

are,

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

52

merely the non- vocal forms of d and

(See

g.

page 33.) The unconscious use of t instead of c (=* k) in the combination d is also as common as that

Thus:

ofdforg. tlay,

tlaw, tlew, tlaim, tlever, tlose.

clay, claw, clew, claim, clever, close.

XVL THIS

is

Thfor

the defect

The

th

called "Lisparid s is the

r.

The breath

commonly

between ing." same as that between I and escapes by a central aperture

&ud by

S.

relation

as for r;

for s

lateral apertures for th

as for

I.

In

forming r and I the middle of the tongue is concave and the point sharply raised in forming s and th the middle of the tongue is convex, and the point flattened out. The central channel for s is over the top of the point of that for r is over the end of the the tongue The lateral tip. apertures for tk are between the edges of the point of the tongue and the :

;

"teeth, or the

upper

gum

;

those for

I

are be-

tween the body of the tongue and the side, or The apertures for th are interIback, teeth.

OEGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS'.

53

and so cause hissing of the breath I are wide, and allow the voice toThe I channels may r pass with vowel purity. however, be narrowed so as to produce sibilation, and this is one form of defective substi-

stitial,

;

those for

tution for

Lisping

s.

is

(See page 46.) easily cured.

But some persons

affect the lisp as a symbol of childish artlessness, and, like Orlando of his love-disease,

"would not be cured."

A

better

means of

displaying simplicity and innocence might be

suggested; but "de gustibus non

The

cst

disputandum"

correction of the habit of lisping will

be facilitated at

first by mechanical^ preventing the tongue from touching the front teeth. The edge of a paper-cutter may be used to

push back the tip of the tongue. The tongue should be altogether out of sight in forming s.

XVILV for

Dh.

THE remarks on "Ffor Th" to these, the vocal lations.

equally apply forms of the same articu-

(See page 43.)

THE FAULTS OF SPEEC1L

54

XVIILV for

Z.

THE directions on page 43 apply equally to these elements, whicb *re merely vocal forms of / and

s.

V for

.

W and W for

V.

THERE is a tendency to confound these conccur in alternation, a? sonants when the} manifested in the Cockney's "werry veil" for T

very well.

French and German speakers, whose vernacular recognizes no sound exactly corresponding to the English w, pronounce v instead of

The French, however, use

it.

sound of

w

in

the true

pronouncing their diagraph

01,

as in soir, boire, oiseaux, etc. The German w has the same labial action as

the English element, but with a difference in the position of the tongue, which is advanced

German and

retracted for the English w. be can taught the knack of the Foreigners element Imitation is obviperfectly. English for the

Mechaniovercome the difficult}'. sound the vowoi oo for some seconds

ously worthless for their direction. cal

assistance

Thus

:

will

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

55

and during the continuance of the sound gently approximate the centre of the lips with the The finger and thumb a number of times. vowel oo will be changed into the word woo,

and

woo, woo, woe,

ivoo,

the consonant

w

in its

most

com-

difficult

bination will be the result. T English readers may, in the same wa} perthe knack of fectl} acquire pronouncing the ,

r

German

w. Thus sound the vowel ee for some seconds, and during the continuance of the sound gently approximate the centre of the lips with the finger and thumb a number of :

The vowel will be changed by every German pronunciation of the

times.

action into a true

word wie, wie, wie, wie, wie.

The phonetic resemblance of the German w to the English v will be recognized in this exThe articulative actions are, howperiment. ever,

and the English student of profit by the lesson and disfuture between English v and Ger-

different,

'German should tinguish in

man

w.

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

50

W for

XX.

L.

THIS substitution

is due to lingual laziness. on the bed of the jaw surlolling renders its proper functions to any part of the organs that can be got to undertake them. Ir* this case the lips are obliging, and we hear

The tongue

:

" Wet

wady wait a

the

Let the lady wait a

The

wittoo." little.

existence of such defects

is a disgrace. attends their correction, and they difficulty should never have quitted the nursery.

No

XXL W for R is the most difficult of for children to learn,

and

R.

all

it is,

the consonants

of

all

elements

of speech, the most variously pronounced in languages and dialects and among individual

When

speakers. land the

sound

the r is

is trilled

as in Scot-

nearly uniform, but the

heard in England and The American r greatly.

less definite varieties

America

differ

scarcely uses the point of the tongue at all, but has a glide-sound approximating to that of y, while, between vowels, the r is modified

by the

lips,

as in

"vej^/."

ORGANIC SUBSTITUTIONS.

57

In England the r final or before a consohas the vocality of a vowel and even

nant

;

the initial r has

little

of the friaativeness of a

consonant.

The

substitution

of

w

for r is a favourite

in English speech, and aw aw of accompanies the aw

dandyism

generally

"Awistocwatic dwawl." Aristocratic drawl.

Those who have acquired the habit of using for r, otherwise than as an affectation, or of mixing the sounds of ID and r, may easily cure themselves by the means recommended on 10

page 43 for the delabialising of Hold down the lower lip with the see the teeth while pronouncing

XXILWfor

namely finger, and s,

:

r.

Wh.

Wh z

is to w precisely what /is to v, or s to the non-vocal form of the same articulative

Speakers who make no difference between these elements confound "whey" with action.

way, "which" with witch, "whale" with wail, "whether" with weather and put their hear ers to unnecessary trouble to unriddle then ;

5*5

THE FAULTS OF SPEECH.

Refinement consists in the preambiguities. and no speaker servation of nice distinctions ;

with any pretensions to refinement will willingly forego such a source of distinctiveness as the proper pronunciation of these and mentary sounds.

Cockney speech has no wh.

all ele-

POSTSCRIPT TO

SECOND EDITION.

POSTSCRIPT TO SECOND EDITION.

NEW Edition been

of this

little

book having

called for, the opportunity is pre-

sented for adding any further observations or directions that

may seem necessary. The highly

condensed matter in these pages could easily be expanded so as to fill a volume but the precision of the Treatise in its present form is ;

one of

Some

recommendations for the actual rectifying the "Faults of Speech."

ts chief

work of

little

peculiarity in the action of a single

mode of pronouncing a single elementary sound, has the effect of rendering the whole of speech peculiar and the work of organ, or in the

;

incredibly simple when the fault The is merely traced to its mechanical cause. list of such mechanical causes of defects in correction

is

speech, herein contained, but complete.

is

not only extensive

61

POSTSCRIPT.

62

The

of ignorance on this subject i and painful. On one occasion a gentleman came to the author with a defect which greatly marred his whole utterance, yet it arose simpty from the habit of substituting effect

often serious

nasal for oral emission in forming the sibilant the " fault" described in Section consonants

XII, page 49. In this case a surgical operaation had been performed, which had subjected the patient to months of suffering, while the defect arose from no organic malformation, but

merely from a mechanical habit which might have been checked in childhood, as it was per-

checked within a week of instruction. 8tammerers have been bewildered more than benefitted by the theories of cause and cure of their impediment, and the extensive terminol-

fectly

T

In nearly all varieties. the source of is a failure in cases, difficulty some simple principle of phonation or organic action, to which alone attention requires to be

ogy given to

its

man}

The chief points for the stammerer's whatever peculiarconsideration and exercise directed.

ity

any case may seem to present

found set forth

in the

will

preceding pages.

be Let

,

POSTSCRIPT.

63

these be carefully studied, and the principles applied, without thought of "consentaneous nerve actions" or any other recondite theories, and in the vast majority of

perseveringly

cases relief will be certainty attained. The principles of vocal respiration are

all-

important, not only to stammerers, but to pubClaims lic speakers, readers and singers.

have been set up to the recent discovery of the proper function of the diaphragm in breathing but this ct discovery" will be found fully em;

bodied in

the Author's

New

Elucidation of

Principles of Speech and Elocution, The simple fundamental published in 1849. the

principles of breathing cannot be too clearly apprehended. The reader is referred to pages

17-19 for definite instruction on this subject. Teachers who undertake the rectification of faults of speech should study the mechanism of articulation as exhibited in the symbols of

"Visible Speech." The phonetic elements of languages, and their mutual relations, are so depicted in these symbols that all difficulty is

removed from this otherwise difficult study. text book Sounds and their Relations, e&

The

10

U

POSTSCRIPT.

Visible Speech,* may be obtained through any bookseller. The Visible Speech Reader,^ (adapted for children) may also be used with advantage to facilitate the acquisihibited in

tion of English sounds

by teacher or

pupil.

A. M. B.

WEST WASHINGTON,

D.

C.,

October, 1883. * Price $2.00, post-paid,

f

from the publisher of this Work, Recently issued price 40 cents. ;

NOTE TO FOURTH EDITION.

No alterations were made

in the Third Edition of this work, nor are any required in this Fourth Edition, issued under the auspices of the Volta Bureau. The little book has done good service during the seventeen years since its first publication; and it is now hopefully committed to a new generation of students.

published in

1889;

A.

WASHINGTON, D.

M. B.

C..

1525 35th Street, Dec. 1st, 1897.

Sounds and Their Relations Exhibited in

Visible

Speech and The Visible Speech Reader are out of print. But the Volta Bureau offers Visible Speech and Vocal Physiology, at 50 cents, as one of the most helpful of A. Melville Bell's works.

(See page 72.)

APPENDIX CONTAINING

TABLES AND EXERCISES.

APPENDIX. Table of Consonants. table contains jlHE following

all

English

elements, and others referred to

in the

preceding paget*. Oral.

Oral Obstruct!

Nasal Emission.

APPENDIX. Table of Initial Consonant Combinations.

APPENDIX. Consonant Exercises.

FOR

rapid reiteration. non-vocal.

shasa sbasasnu

pata patapa

thasba thashatha

tapa tapata

shatha shathasha

paka pakapa kapa kapaka

tliasasha thashasa

taka takata kata kataka

shasatha shathasa

pataka pakata tapaka takapa kapata katapa

bada baclaba daba dabada

pafa pafapa fapa fapafa fawha fawhafa

whafa whafawha

pawhafa pafawha fapawka fawhapa whapafa whafapa fatha falhafa tbafa thafatha

thasa thasatha satha sathasa .-sasha

sashasa

sathasha sashatha

vocal.

baga bagaba gaba gabaga daga dagada gada gadaga bagada badaga dabaga dagaba gadaba gabada bava bavaba vaba vabava

bawa bawaba waba wabawa vawa vawava wava wavaAVi* bawava bavawa

70

APPENDIX.

vabawa vawaba wabava wavaba r >

atha vathava

larana lanara nalara narala combinations.

thava thavatha

blabra blabrabla

thaza thazatha

brabla brablabra

zatha zathaza

plapra plaprapla

vathaza vazatha

prapla praplapra

thavaza thazava zavatha zathava

flafra flafrafla frafla fraflafra

glagra glagragla

thazha thazhatha

gragla graglagra

zhatha zhathazha

clacra clacracla

zazha zazhaza

cracla craclacra

zhaza zhazazha thazhaza thazazha

thwaswa thwaswathwa swathwa swathwaswa

zathazha zazhatha

thrashra thrashrathra

zhazatha zhathaza

shrathra shrathrashra slasna slasnasla

rala ralara

snasla snaslasna

lara larala

tradra tradratra

rana ranara

dratra dratradra

nara narana

chaja chajacha

lana lanala

jacha jachaja

nala nalana

spasfa spasfaspa

ralana ranala

sfaspa sfaspasfa

APPENDIX.

71

staska staskasta

splaspra splaspraspla

skasta skastaska

spraspla sprasplaspra

Words and Sentences. Beef-broth.

Cloud-capp'd. Laurel wreath.

Three sixths. Literally literary.

Linen

Knitting needle.

A

Quit quickly. Such a sash.

Scotch thatch.

Rural railroad.

Puff up the fop.

Statistics of sects.

A velvet weaver. A A

cut of pumpkin.

knapsack

Coop up

A

strap.

the cook.

Portly poultry. wet white wafer.

A

Pick pepper peacock, I snuff shop snuff.

school coal-scuttle.

Veal and white wine vinegar.

Geese cackle and cattle low. Cocks crow and crows caw.

A shocking sottish set She

lining.

comic mimic.

sells sea-shells.

THF END.

The Volta Bureau's Book Department A.

MELVILLE BELL'S BOOKS

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$0.50

Facial Speech-Reading Visible Speech Charts. 3 for wall Visible Speech Cards. 12 in set Visible Speech Cards. 44, larger Visible Speech and Vocal Physiology Visible Speech in 12 lessons. German Visible Speech in 12 lessons. Italian Visible Speech Class Primer Visible Speech. Inaugural Edition

Principles of Speech.

Paper, $1.00.

Cloth,

Elocutionary Manual (Principles) Principles of Elocution Essays and Postscripts on Elocution

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Address to Elocutionists Notations in Elocutionary Teaching. Emphasized Liturgy Letters and Sounds (Visible Speech) Sounds of R World English: Universal Language World English, Handbook of Popular Shorthand

.

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Elliptical Steno-Phonography Reporting Steno-Phonography Line riting, Universal Line Writing, Vernacular and Orthoepic Line Writing Exercises Line Writing Cards, set

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10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 40 25

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