Hindrances to Speech-Major and Minor Defects-Stuttering, Stammering, Hesitation, and their Cure-Plumptre's System-Defective Articulation - Lisping, Burring, Hoarseness, Nasal Twang-Browne and Behnke's System of Cure-Weak Voice and Throat Diseases.

VOCAL

Defects may be divided into two classes, the Major and the Minor. The Major Defects are stuttering, stammering, and hesitation. The Minor Defects include defective articulation, mispronunciation arising from physical Hindrances causes, lisping, burring, huskiness, hoarseness, nasal twang, head tone, thick, woolly, and growling tones.

to Speech.

In the treatment of the subject we properly consider acute and chronic sore throat, nasal catarrh, and coryza. In so doing we do not invade the domain of the medical profession, but we seek to show the necessity for prompt and skilful attention to any and all vocal irregularities. The Major Defects are comparatively uncommon, but there are very few persons whose delivery is not marred by one or more of the Minor class of vocal imperfec

tions. Our classification of defects is not based upon their relative effect upon speech, but on the ease or difficulty with which they yield to medical treatment.

Stuttering is a defect in utterance manifested by repetitions of initial or other elementary sounds, and is attended with muscular contortions. It is confined chiefly to the vowels o and u and to the consonants.

Stuttering.

"The main feature of stuttering," says Professor Plumptre, "consists in the difficulty in conjoining and fluently enunciating syllables, words, and sentences. The interruptions are more or less frequent, the syllables or words being thrown out in jerks. The stoppage of the sound may take place at the second or third syllable of a word, but occurs more frequently at the first, and the usual consequence is, that the beginning of a syllable is several times repeated until the difficulty is conquered. The stutterer, unless he be at the same time a stammerer, has generally no difficulty in articulating the elementary sounds, in which respect he differs from the latter; it is in the combination of these sounds in the formation of words and sentences that his infirmity consists."

The causes of stuttering are enumerated by the same authority as follows:

Causes.

'Affections of the brain and spinal cord and the abdominal canal, abnormal irritability of the nervous system, vice, mental emotions, mimicry, and involuntary imitation. The proximate cause of stuttering is, in most cases, the abnormal action of the phonetic and respiratory apparatus, and not, like stammering, the result either of organic defects, or the debility of the articulating organs."

Stammering.

Stammering is a difficulty experienced in enunciating elementary sounds, accompanied by slow or indistinct delivery, but not attended with a repetition of sounds. It applies to both vowels and consonants. Dr. Hunt in his treatise on Stammering has this to say regarding its

causes:

"The variety of defects which constitute stammering result either from actual defective organization or from functional disturbance. Among organic defects may be enumerated: hare-lip, cleft-palate, abnormal length and thickness of the uvula, inflammation and enlargement of the tonsils, abnormal size and tumors of the tongue, tumors in the buccal cavity, want or defective position of the teeth."

When the organs are in a normal condition, and yet the person is unable to place them in a proper position to produce the desired effect, the affection is said to be functional. Debility, paralysis, spasms of the glottis, lips, etc., owing to a central or local affection of the nerves, habit, imitation, etc., may all more or less tend to produce stammering.

Messrs. Browne and Behnke, in treating of the Major Vocal Defects, thus compare stut- Stuttering tering and stammering:

and Stam

mering Compared.

A stammerer can vocalize a sound in his larynx, but is unable so to regulate his tongue, palate, and lip-opening as to form that sound into a distinct vowel, and the hearer cannot consequently distinguish whether the vocal sound which is uttered, and may be indefinitely repeated, is meant for ah, ai, ee, oh, or oo.

A stutterer, on the other hand, places his articulating organs in the right position for enunciation of some particular consonant, but is unable to combine with it the vocal sound giving it its vowel character, so that, as in the case of the consonant b for example, the hearer cannot distinguish whether the consonant which is articulated, and may be indefinitely repeated, is intended to commence a word as bah, bai, bee, boh, or boo."

Hesitation.

Hesitation ranges from the slightest difficulty experienced in producing an elementary sound to actual stammering. Indeed, it is not always easy to distinguish between the hesitation of the mind over the choice of words and that of the vocal organs over the articulation of sounds. Dr. Abbotts, of London, writing upon the subject, says that "in a state of savage simplicity, stammering and stuttering are almost How Caused. unknown." Dr. Livingstone, during his long travels in Africa, never saw a native afflicted with these defects of speech. His experience has been paralleled by that of travellers in other parts of the world. Accordingly, Dr. Abbotts and other prominent physicians in both England and America have concluded that the Major Defects of speech belong essentially to civilization, and are traceable to nervous or sanitary conditions which affect the vocal organs.

Stuttering, stammering, and hesitation are curable. This fact has been established; but not all

Curable.

systems and treatments are efficacious. It is a safe estimate to set down ninetenths of the advertised " Systems of Cure" as

Schools for stam

either mistaken or fraudulent. merers and stutterers are rarely successful, yet some are eminently so. Relief is often given by individual teachers, but cure is seldom effected except in the case of hesitation.

It is alleged that persons afflicted with stuttering, stammering, and hesitation may correct these faults. by individual effort in accordance with some system. I admit that hesitation may be thus cured. I admit that if the cure of stuttering or stammering is effected it must be by systematic methods, but I am exceedingly sceptical concerning alleged cures, although I admit that relief and improvement can generally be accomplished. For the benefit of the individual student, and as suggestions to the teacher of elocution, I submit a few hints which if conscientiously followed must result in radical gain.

Treatment.

Treatment of the Major Vocal Defects may be considered under two heads-Surgical and Educational. Stutterers and stammerers should Modes of consult the physician and then the voice trainer. If your vocal defect arises from disease or deformity, you should follow the advice of your physician, even should he advise an immediate surgical operation. If, however, the medical man does. not effect a cure or should he advise vocal training, then consult the teacher whose speciality is the cure of vocal defects.

The Educational cure may be managed either at a school for stammering or with an unattached teacher. In either case, I repeat the Educational warning: Beware of cures that do not

Cure.