Jj is for Jottings 75. Voice Quality and Speech Intelligibility.
I was reminded the other day about the effects that voice quality can have on the clarity of a person’s speech. In addition to reduced speech intelligibility caused by speech sound problems (see here), poor voice quality can also interfere with the listener’s ability to understand the message. I was reminded by this: Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 74. Understanding Unclear Speech.
When a child’s speech is unclear, it could range from a single sound substitution such as a lisp (which is, in effect, saying /th/ instead of /s/ and which, although not perfectly clear, is perfectly intelligible) right through the continuum to multiple substitutions, omission of sounds and syllables, addition of sounds, and distortion of sounds – the result of which is likely to be largely or completely unintelligible. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 72. Single Words Versus Connected Speech.
Following on from the discussion about the end of a word not always really being the end (here), we find that, as a result of running our words together to get a smooth flow which is easier for the listener to follow, we can end up with strings of consonants together, as in, “He mends trucks.” Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 70. The End of a Word is Not Always the End.
In traditional tests of articulation (speech sounds) and when we are sounding out words in reading, we think very much in terms of sounds at the beginning, in the middle and on the end of a word. In the case of early stage reading and spelling using 3-sound words, we are asking, “What sound can you hear at the beginning of the word?” “What sound can you hear at the end of the word? “What sound can you hear in the middle of the word?” Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 69. /l/ Sound is Different on the End.
You probably haven’t thought about this before, but /l/ (the slashes indicate the sound rather than the letter name) is pronounced differently when it is the last sound in an utterance or followed by a consonant, compared with when it is followed by a vowel. And if that sounds like gobbledygook, Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 68. Communication Milestones.
Here is a chart put together by a group from Queensland and the National Office of Speech Pathology Australia which you may find useful.
Here is the link if you want to print copies.
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/milestones
Jj is for Jottings 56. 3 More Techniques for Helping Your Child’s Language.
We used all these language techniques with our “children”, but it seems that they still have too much screen time.
This follows on from Jottings 55, so you will need to read that first. (See https://educatingalpacas.com/general-language-stimulation-technique-1-modelling/). I decided to combine the last three techniques into one article: Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 54. Should I Correct My Child’s Speech?
This is Linguine, Kieran’s Murray Darling carpet python. The pic I really wanted was too blurry. Shikha caught a 23 cm long baby brown snake last week and brought it to the front door step to play with. Having just stepped out of the shower I snatched him inside and dressed hastily. When I returned it was nowhere in sight. I found it wriggling around in David’s boot, on the step below! Taking photos inside boots doesn’t work too well. Great composition – reared up with its mouth gaping open – but blurry. Linguine said he’d be happy to stand in (and he’s beautiful and harmless).
Many parents these days are concerned that they will somehow damage their child’s psyche if they correct their speech and language Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 47. Minimal Pairs: Voiced vs. Voiceless.
You may not have noticed this before, but many of our consonant sounds in English come in pairs. The sounds are the same except for the fact that one uses the voice and the other does not. You’ll see what I mean when I tell you what the pairs are (with the first of each pair being the voiceless one): /p,b/; /t,d/; /k,g/; /f,v/; /s,z/; /ch,j/; /sh and the sound in the middle of “measure”, which does not have a letter to represent it/; and /th/ – voiceless, as in “thumb” and voiced, as in “the, mother”. A minimal pair is a pair of sounds or words that differ by only one feature, in this case voicing. Other minimal pairs may differ by a whole sound eg. beg/big; bat/bag.
Before we go any further, I should explain that the slashes (/ /) mark the fact that we are talking about a sound as opposed to a letter name. This is explained in more detail in the introduction to Aa is for Alpacas.
When teaching the sounds made by letters, many adults (including teachers) fall into the trap of adding the schwa vowel to voiceless consonants, with the result that /p/, for example, ends up as /pə/ i.e. a voiceless consonant, /p/, with a voiced consonant , /ə/, added to the end. It should be just /p/ followed by breath. Voicing voiceless consonants to children confuses them in the following ways:
Some children have difficulties with the voiced/voiceless phenomenon in their speech. It’s usually confined to voicing /p,t,k/ or maybe even just one of those, but it is remarkable just how difficult it makes them to understand when they voice all three of them. And it is quite difficult to remediate, too.
Please be aware of the voiceless sounds and given them a fair go – your child’s literacy will be much the better for it.
See also: https://educatingalpacas.com/more-minimal-pairs-voiced-vs-voiceless/
Another view of the family cos they are so cute!
Jj is for Jottings 20. The Other Side of the Coin.
Last time I talked about the important role speech pathologists can play in literacy, and this is quite true. In theory, we can make a huge difference. However, as with learning any new skills or working to improve existing skills, practice is paramount. Continue reading
