Lisping of consonants is a very common disturbance of speech. The most frequent form is to substitute " t " and " d " for " k " and hard " g." This error is easily corrected. If one pronounce successively " ta, ta, ta," at the same time pushing the index-finger backward between the tongue and the palate, it will be noticed, when the index-finger has been pushed back up to the second joint, that the sound will change from " ta, ta, ta " to " ka, ka, ka." The same procedure is to be used by persons who say " t " and " d " instead of " k " and g." They should place the index-finger firmly on the back of the tongue, and utter distinctly " ka," and " ga." Frequent practice will soon give the tongue its proper position, and obviate the mistakes.
Lisping of " s," " z," and other sibilants, is a usual result when the point of the tongue is thrust between the teeth, and instead of producing a clear, loud sound when pronouncing the letter " s," there issues a soft, lisping sound like " th." In this case it is necessary to draw the tongue back behind the closed teeth. If the lisper now tries to say " s," the sharp sound is still lacking ; this is produced when the current of air strikes the lower row of teeth near the centre. The layman can do this easily by placing a tube or a hollow' key to the teeth, producing a whistling sound by blowing into it. Another way of lisping is to speak " s " from the corner of the mouth. This habit is more difficult to treat, and can be cured only by following expert medical advice.
Lisping of the letter " r " is not always regarded as faulty speech, since it is common to certain localities. Instead of speaking the tongue " r," the palate" r " is spoken. The tongue " r is spoken with the point of the tongue. This is very easily achieved. By repeating the letters " t-d-a " consecutively, endeavouring to go from " t " to " a " as quickly as possible, almost skipping the " d," it will be noticed that the sound of " d " will gradu ally be supplanted by that of " r," and instead of saying " t-d-a " the sound will be " t-r-a." By frequent repetition the point of the tongue acquires the necessary elasticity to pronounce the " r " in this manner.
Apoplexy of the right side of the body is often associated with loss of speech, or with word-deafness. Loss of speech is indicated if the patient cannot speak at all, or very indistinctly, while fully understanding everything that is said to him. Word-deaf persons have not lost the power of speech,
but they have lost the understanding of spoken sounds. Such individuals can express their thoughts, although frequently using incorrect terms ; but they cannot understand what is said to them. They can hear perfectly, and their position may be likened to that of an individual who is suddenly transplanted from his own country to a foreign land, the language of which is totally unfamiliar to him. In many cases both conditions improve ; in others the right-sided paralysis and the speech disturbance remain unchanged for years. This disturbance generally results from paralysis of the right side of the body, and it may therefore be concluded that the centre of speech understanding is situated in the left half of the brain, since the nervous pathways of the brain are crossed, those of the left half of the brain supplying the right side of the body, and vice versa. This influence of the left half of the brain upon the faculty of speech is associated with the congenital use of the right hand. Therefore, when left-handed persons suffer from disturbed speech in consequence of an apoplectic stroke. they are paralysed on the left side, the centre of speech of left-handed persons being situated in the right half of the brain.
For loss of speech following apoplexy or other causes, systematic exer cises for the left hand ought to be undertaken, so as to prepare the right half of the brain to become the new speech-centre. Systematic writing-exercises for the left hand are of the utmost importance. In addition to these, exercises in forming sounds ought to be taught, and, as this is rather difficult for the layman, it is best to leave it to a specialist.
The word-deaf person, who does not understand what is said to him, must be taught in some other way to understand ; in fact, in a way which all use subconsciously at times. When at a theatre one cannot clearly understand an actor or a singer, one uses an opera-glass, not to bring the sound nearer, but to see the facial expression ; for, in order to understand speaking, one needs the eyes as well as the ears. One is not consciously using the eyes for that purpose, although everybody knows that the understanding is much better when one looks at the speaker. Therefore, the word-deaf person must learn to read what the lips are saying. This will help him considerably, and make him more fit socially.