It also occurs—seldom, however—that children who have already learned to speak pretty well are dumb, or speak only a few words—among these the word no—during several months, or speak only with certain persons, because they will not speak (out of obstinacy, or embarrassment). Here an organic obstacle in the motor speech-center is probable. For voluntary dumbness requires great strength of will, which is hardly to be attributed to the child. The unwillingness to speak that is prompted by fun never lasts long.
C. The Expressive Peripheral Processes
Disturbed.
(1) Dyslalia and Alalia (Peripheral Dysarthria and Anarthria).
The infant can not yet articulate correctly, or at all, on account of the still deficient development, and afterward the lack of control, of the nerves of speech and the external organs of speech. The complete inability to articulate is called alalia. The newly born is alalic. Dyslalia continues with many children a long time even after the learning of the mother-tongue. This is always a case simply of imperfections in h and z.
a. Bulbo-nuclear Stammering (Literal Bulbo-nuclear Dysarthria and Anarthria).—Patients who have lost control over the muscles of speech through bulbo-nuclear paralysis, stammer before they become speechless, and along with paralysis and atrophy of the tongue occur regularly fibrillar contractions of the muscles of the tongue. The tongue is no longer regulated by the will.
The child that has not yet gained control over his vocal muscles stammers before he can speak correctly, and, according to my observations, regularly shows fibrillar contractions of the muscles of the tongue along with an extraordinary mobility of the tongue. The tongue is not yet regulated by the will. Its movements are aimless.
b. Mogilalia.—Children, on account of the as yet deficient control of the external organs of speech, especially of the tongue, can not yet form some sounds, and therefore omit them. They say, e. g., in for "hin," ätz for "Herz," eitun for "Zeitung," ere for "Schere."
Gammacism.—Children find difficulties in the voluntary utterance of K and Ks (x), and indeed of G, and therefore often omit these sounds without substituting others; they say, e. g., atsen for "Klatschen," atten for "Garten," asse for "Gasse," all for "Karl," ete for "Grete" (in the second year), wesen for "gewesen," opf for "Kopf."
Sigmatism.—All children are late in learning to pronounce correctly S, and generally still later with Sch, and therefore omit both, or in a lisping fashion put S in place of Sch; more rarely Sch in place of S. They say, e. g., saf. in place of "Schaf," int for "singt," anz for "Salz," lafen and slafen for "schlafen," iss for "Hirsch," pitte for "Splitter," tul for "Stuhl," wein for "Schwein," Tuttav for "Gustav," torch for "Storch" (second year), emele for "Schemel," webenau for "Fledermaus," but also Kusch for "Kuss." But in no case have I myself heard a child regularly put "sch" in place of s, as Joschef for "Josef." This form, perhaps, occurs in Jewish families; but I have no further observations concerning it as yet.
Rhotacism.—Many children do not form R at all for a long time and put nothing in place of it. They say duch for "durch," bot for "Brot," unte for "herunter," tautech for "traurig," ule for "Ruhe," tänen for "Thränen," ukka for "Zucker." On the contrary, some form early the R lingual, guttural, and labial, but all confound now and then the first two with each other.