In regard to training in enunciation, this work has been found to be more successful when given late in the development of the defective. After he has gained confidence in speech ability and cultivated, to some degree, real enjoyment in voice production, he is better prepared to consider this more or less purely technical training. In very extreme cases, however, it will be found necessary to begin speech instruction with him as you would teach a child. Such students must be taught the proper control of lips, tongue and jaw, as though they had never learned speech at all.
Experts who have devoted a lifetime to the study of speech evils and their remedy find a large variety of causes for them, as well as immense diversity in manifestation. One may seem to be born with a tendency to stammering, stuttering or lisping; another can trace the habit to a fright, to imitation, to some exhaustive disease, to nervous timidity, to self-consciousness. But whatever the cause, or however the evil manifests itself, it is a living nightmare, a dreadful, ever-present burden to its victim. Hence parents and teachers should seriously endeavor to correct the habit as speedily as it is discovered. For if it be long-continued it is almost sure to produce shyness, timidity, lack of necessary self-reliance, even moroseness, sullenness and other consequences of perpetual unhappiness.
At the outset let it be understood clearly that all harshness, unkindness, or severity of treatment in word or deed, adds to the evil and renders it more difficult of eradication. The victim of the habit is to be sympathized with, and lovingly encouraged. Yet promptness, firmness and persistency are essential in the production of a cure. The following suggestions should be put into practice, but seldom or never in the presence of strangers, or at any time when they would heighten the sufferer’s embarrassment. They must also be followed with happy cheerfulness.
1. When a victim of one of these habits begins to stammer or stutter, stop him immediately, and say pleasantly but firmly and crisply, “Stop!” Then command: “Take a deep breath! Now hold it! Now think of what you want to say—each word!” Then allow the stutterer to let out his breath; then inhale again deeply, and begin his speech. If he fails, see that he begins again. Practice this as often as you can. Exercises can also be made up, following the same procedure, that will be of incalculable benefit, as, for instance, taking a deep breath, then repeating as much of the alphabet as is possible before breathing again.
2. Cultivate slowness of speech. Insist upon words being spoken slowly, with great distinctness and clearness of articulation. The moment stuttering begins, issue the commands: “Stop! Deep breath; think; breathe out, breathe in; now!” Let the teacher say his words very slowly and constantly encourage the pupil to do the same.
3. Cultivate the habit of rapid thinking. This can be done by a series of exercises played as games if necessary. For instance: “The Game of Names.” The teacher says, “Flower!” The pupil replies, “Rose.” If the teacher has a list ready he can call out his names as quickly as possible, such as, Animal, Tree, Water, Bird, Dog, etc., while the pupil responds, Horse, Oak, River, Sparrow, Bulldog, etc. The interest can be increased by repeating a generic term, requiring a different species for answer. Flower, Animal, Tree, Water, etc., can have a score or more of different answers.
Another exercise in prompt thinking is that of “Association of Ideas.” The teacher gives out a name—whatever occurs to him—as, for instance, “Tree.” The pupil immediately responds, “Leaves.” Then the teacher may add, “Autumn,” and the pupil, “Poetry,” and so on. Or the associations may all be required from the pupil. The words used as starters should be carefully chosen, of course, to meet the mental condition of the pupil; such words as Baby, Doll, Mamma, Bed, House, etc., being good for children of tender years.
Another excellent exercise is that of “Contrasts or Differences,” where the teacher says, “Boy,” and the pupil responds, “Girl.” “Black” calls forth “white,” “heavy” is responded to by “light,” etc.
Equally good is “Finishing Quotations” or “lines”—provided, of course, the pupil is old enough for such a mental exercise. For instance, the teacher says, “Everything is not gold,” while the pupil should respond, “That glitters.” “My country,” would bring out “’Tis of thee,” or “Right or wrong.”