The Talking Deaf Man / A Method Proposed, Whereby He Who is Born Deaf, May Learn to Speak

by Johann Conrad Amman

Here note well, that in the Schools this very thing would be of great use, chiefly when they are taught Languages, whose Letters are expressed by whole words, as Alpha, Omega, Gimel, double u, zet, &c. For more time is lost, and the desire of Learning taken away from Children, before they are able to abstract the Letters of these Sounds, and to connect them together in Reading; so that it is very much to be wonder'd at, that this most eminent short way of reading hath hitherto lain hid in the dark.

The other Nasalls [u] and [ng] have nothing peculiar, unless it be that I shew the Deaf the posture of the Tongue in a Looking-Glass, and put their Hand to my Nose, whereby they may be sensible, that there comes forth thorough the Nostrils a Sounding Breath. When I teach them [l.] I bid them to apply the Tongue to the upper Teeth; but to the Cutters, and to the Dog-Teeth only, that then they may emit a Voice thro' the Mouth I make a Sign with my Hand; but least, instead of [l.] they should pronounce [n.] which comes to pass when the Tongue doth so hinder the coming forth of the Voice, that it returns to get out by the Nostrils; therefore, till they are better accustomed, I gently compress the Nostrils with my Fingers.

The Letter [r] is the most difficult of all the rest, yet amongst six Deaf Persons, which I have hitherto instructed, four of them pronounce it with the greatest easiness; the other two cannot form it, but in their Jaws; but I teach them, by moving the Hand one while to the Throat, and another while to the Mouth, whereby they may, as it were, feel the subsulting and interrupted Expulsion of the Voice; also I bid them to look often in the Glass, to observe the tremulous and fluctuating Motion of the Tongue; but no one can expect at the first trial, the genuin Pronounciation of this Letter.

When the Vowels and Semi-vowels are well inculcated into them, the Consonants are learnt without any trouble almost, for they are a Simple and Mute Breath, coming forth, either successively, or suddenly, according to the various Openings of the Mouth, and only with putting the Hand to the Mouth almost, they may all easily be learned.

[h] is the most simple of all, nor is it any thing else but Air, which is breathed out thicker, and more swiftly.

[g] or ch. is sharper than [h] which I teach thus, when I shew to my Deaf Patients the posture of the Tongue in a Looking-Glass, and give them to feel the expiring Breath; it is so in like manner with [s] and [f] insomuch, as nothing is more easie than they, and which may most easily be learned by the fore-going Description.

I can teach a Deaf Man, (though he were blind) the Explosive Consonants; for if I cause him to feel the Breath discharged upon him, he would necessarily pronounce one of the three; for I bid him to look simply on my Mouth and Tongue, and then having put his Hand to my Mouth, I pronounce either [k.] or [b.] [p.] or [d.] [t.] and command him to do the like.

(x.) and (z.) are pronounced no otherwise than is (ks.) or (gs.) (when (g) is an Explosive Consonant) and (ts.) wherefore I shall add nothing concerning them.

Deaf Persons are to be diligently accustomed to pronounce these Semi-vowels, n. ng. l. r. also the following Consonants; h. g. k. t. with some kind of opening the Mouth, else they may joyn them sometimes with certain Vowels, not without a notable yawning, & a discordant noise. Now in general, Winter-time is fitter almost for to instruct the Deaf, because then they see the Breath coming forth from the Mouth, whilst Pronounciation is in doing.

When therefore I taught any Deaf Person to pronounce the Letters hitherto enumerated, and that one by one, I taught him so to utter two or three of the easiest, that there should be interstice between them; as for example, ab. am. da. fa. ef. &c. so that they might be accustomed to pronounce the Letters successively; then by degrees I use them to the more difficult Combinations, mutually mixing Vowels, Semi-vowels and Consonants, and thus with little trouble they learn to read; but if when they have read any thing, I bid them look upon my Mouth, and to repeat the same after it hath been pronounced by me; for thus they become by degrees to be accustomed to imitate the humane Voice, only by looking on; but I am unwilling to tire them out with this labour, troublesome enough, until they have profited much, because they may be frighted with it.