ARTICULATION.

THE principal defects of articulation consist of a uniformly weak or thick utterance, lisping and stammering.

1. A weak manner of speech may arise from ill health or lassitude, from diffidence or embarrassment, from indolence or affectation. In cases of weakness, health must be improved before any great change can be made in the voice power. Such exercise in respiration, intonation, and calisthenics as can be borne from day to day, will greatly aid in regaining strength if the weakness is chiefly in the lungs. Indeed, tendencies toward consumption have, in many instances, been overcome by judicious vocal training.

If weakness of utterance arises from diffidence, let no opportunity pass that will overcome want of confidence. Conversation, recitation, declamation, singing, and dialogues should be engaged in, however irksome the task, and whatever failures accrue. If it arises from embarrassment, keep the lungs well filled or inflated, and there will follow comparative self-possession. When the defect arises from indolence or affectation, there is little hope of remedy.

2. A thick manner of utterance is sometimes the result of malformation, or accidental injury of the vocal organs. In such cases permanent cures are rare. Surgical operations will remove any superfluous growth, but for an absence of parts there is no chance of remedy. A thick manner of speech is often the result of intemperance in the use of liquors, tobacco, snuff, or other drugs, and can only be cured by abstemiousness, exercise, and cleanliness of the head-cavities, chest, and throat. The mucous linings of the headcavities may become thickened by catarrhal difficulties, and produce thickness of speech.

3. Lisping is the habit of substituting th soft for s and z. It can be cured if the lisper has sufficient will-power and patience. Practice faithfully, two or three times a day, a list of words containing s and z, and th. Care should be taken

that the tip of the tongue be pressed lightly against the edges of the upper incisor teeth to produce th, and against the gums of the same upper teeth to produce the sound. of s. Besides the practice, every lisp in reading, speaking, or conversing should be corrected when made.*

*Lisping really belongs under "defects by substitution," but has been

considered worthy of special study.

4. Stammering is caused by diffidence, embarrassment, or an attempt at speech without proper control of the vocal organs. To overcome this defect is more difficult than that of lisping. The stammerer should keep the lungs well inflated while speaking, and try to be hopeful, cheerful, and self-confident. First, the stammerer must believe that he can be cured, not despairing with any number of failures, but energetically persevering in the exercises as directed. There should be systematic training in all the tables belonging to Orthophony, particularly on those in respiration, intonation, and calisthenics, in order to obtain control of the voluntary muscles.

Note.-Some people's thoughts outrun their power of utterance, and they stammer because all the words can not come forth at once. It is a fact worthy of attention that stammerers seldom stammer when singing. Is it not because the words are arranged in proper order and time without their assistance, thus relieving them of all responsibility? It is the same with poetry. Cures have been performed by repeating lines of poetry, giving the rhythmical accent, and keeping time with the finger. At every repetition increase the speed. Try this three times a day, sleep enough, live temperately in all things, do nothing to prostrate the nervous system, and the chances are you will recover.

Example.

"Come back! come back!' he cried in grief,

Across the stormy water,

'And I'll forgive your highland chief,

My daughter-oh my daughter !' "

ENUNCIATION.

THE most common defects or errors of enunciation are found in the substitution, omission, and addition of sounds in syllables, and the overlapping of words in sentences. When there is no organic defect, these faults result from carelessness or ignorance, and can be remedied by constant attention to, and correction of every error of the kind. Fixed habits of articulation or enunciation contracted by uncultivated associations and incompetent teachers are exceedingly difficult to correct. To correct an error the moment

it is noticed, either in reading or speaking, may be humiliating, but will prove a sure remedy. In the following list the right-hand column is the corrected one, for practice in substitution, omission, and addition.

* Make a sentence for each word, and pronounce it properly.

pillër

childurn

The errors with w and v are peculiar to foreigners; there are also those peculiar to children, viz. :*

* Dr. Comstock says: "First I try to show the children the difference of the position of the organs of speech in producing k and g, t and d, etc. If this fails, I open my mouth as widely as possible, so that the tip of the tongue can not touch the gums of the upper teeth, and request the child to open his in like manner. I then direct him to pronounce after me the following syllables: gã, gä, gân, gã, gỗ, gỗ, gò, go, gõ, gū, ga, gù, kā, kä, kâ, kă, etc." When this scheme fails he advises the teacher and pupil to press back and down the tongue with the index finger, and pronounce the syllables given in the preceding exercise.