CORRECT SPEECH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 230, 30 September 1941, Page 4

CORRECT SPEECH

PREPARING IHF CHILD FOR THE FUi'URE METHODS EASILY CARRIED OUT “In preparing a child’s education for the future, parents very often neglect entirely one of the greatest safeguards, a factor which plays a leading role in determining serial and busincs success—correct speech.’’ said Mis. Gladys Lovegrove, Wanganui, yesterday. “‘They was,’ 'aint,' ‘he don't,’ ami other grammatical impurities are. of course, quickly 'spotted.’ and rigorously swept from his vocabulary. It is the less obvious, but equally disastrous, poor pronunciation, enunciation, diction. lone and rhythm together with bad phraseology, which are all too commonly allowed to go unheeded and to spoil a child's speech. “Correct speech can he easily and enjoyably instilled in a youngster, if his parents will begin his training In the early and most informative years. “As a tiny tot (he use of lips and mouth with exercises are easily copied —thereby instilling the habit for life and rectifying the greater cause of slovenly speech in the afult - “lip laziness.” “Dropping the jaw easily and loosely up and down is fun for small folk, and so later the mouth drops open and pure rounded vowel sounds allowed to flow out. “Later, humorous daily recitals of the old favourite tongue-twisters. ’She sells sea shells on the sea shore.’ ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,’ will lay the foundation towards making the child conscious of clear and distinct articulation. From that point on, objective teaching may be employed. “Surrounding a child with a home atmosphere of beautiful speech so that he will become accustomed not only to correct grammar and pronunciation, but to exquisite moulding of phrases, is perhaps one of the most important factors. “Parents cannot be 100 careful in guarding their own speech as well as that, of the associates of their offspring.

“Here is where he should learn the table of the 18 vowel SOUNDS, and made aware that the diphthong vowel sound *oi’ as in hoy, oil, etc . is not the diphthong vowel sound I and many others all too frequently dislocated and mispronounced vowel sounds.

“Half the skill in teaching correct speech to a ? oung student depends upon the ability to make it as much fun as possible. “By so instructing him to use his speech and voice correctly, parents are removing an ugly stumbling block from his life, for he will then never have a vocal defect to handicap him in his dealings with others.”