SPEECH DEFECTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4979, 26 May 1926, Page 3

SPEECH DEFECTS.

CHILDREN OF NEW ZEALAND. DANGER IN SLOVENLINESS. A - very interesting discussion on the subject of “Speech Defects in New Zealand Children” took place at Weir lington last week, when Mr F. Martyn Renner, of Wellington College, read a paper on the subject; in connection with the Vacation School which has been held during the week at 1 Victoria College. Mr Renner stated that he had always claimed that the inability to speak standard English was a sign of lack of culture. He considered tha,t scholastic attainments, education at college or university, were ajl futile unless they placed the young man and the young woman beyond the reach of vulgarity ot thought or .action, and he had no hesitation in saying that ti*ue refinement of speech was, in a subtle manner, an index of a mind developed ajong true cultural lines. It was the duty of .the teachers to keep not only “the well of Ehglish writing,” but also the well of English speech, undefiled. . Mr Renner stated >tha ; t after many years’ experience and close obsiervation of many types of children, he had come to the conclusion that about only 20 per cent, of New Zealand children spoke thei English tongue unmarred by any one of the commonest defects. In other words,, he considered that a very small; proportion of our post-primary children spoke reasonably good' standard English. COMMON SPEECH DEFECTS. The lecturer stated that, judged by the proper standard of English—the speech of the upper middle clajss of the South of England—the chief of the commonest detects found in the speech of New Zealand children are the following: (1) The pronunciation of the “a” sound of day, praise, raise, etc., as something approaching the “i” sound of die, my, etc. (2) .the pronunciation of the “i” sound of my as something approaching the “oi” sound of boil, toil, etc. (3) The pronunciation o¥ the “ou” a.nd “ow” sound of bough, how, etc., as an “eou” sound, namely, beough, heow. (4) The pronunciation of the . final “b” sound in words like go, no, as a distinctly thin “o” with no roufidneiss or fullness in it. (5) The pronunciation of words, beginning with “wh,” SO’ that" the *h‘” is elided, e.g., “White’’ is pronounced exactly like “wight’' in the “Isle of Wight.” (6) The mispronunciation of certain typical final syllables, as in picture, nature, soldier .statue; and ill general the blurring of. nonaccented final, or initial; syllables. (7) Lack of care in pronouncing clearly and distinctly those 'consonants that ought to be pronounced, e.g-, strictly, end. ' PLEASURE AND WORK. Professor Shelly stated that ope df his students, while conducting a mental fest in which the class ,was required to give the opposite of any words uttered by the teacher, gave to his class, after other simpler examples, the word “pleasure.” Immediately the class as one man replied “wprk.” That, said the Profeissor, was .the kind of feeling which had to be eradicated froiji the mind of the child. The child should be induced to regard his work as something df the nature of pleasure, and he must also' be induced to want to speak properly* When that had been Achieved, then much would have been done. . SHEER SLOVENLINESS OF SPEECH Professor Sljelley went on .to say that the trouble in the: schools; of this country was sheer sl.oveliness of speech. Laziness was at the root of all the variations - 'in pronunciation which are noticeable in New Zealand, but for those variations he considered that the. conditions of a developing country were a.lso very largely responsible. The speech of our schools was the least common denominator of all the various dialects that at different times have been imported into the country.

prdfessor stated that one of the first things that impressed hi,m when he arrived in this country from 'England about six years ago was (he lack of modulation in the average person’s voice.. The average person expressed sympathy for a friend in the same tone that he would ask for ,a pound of cheese. The question of correct speech should be considered as..a whole; modulation should be given attention as well as pronunciation. : Professor Shelley considered that there was not a very great danger at the present time of Zealand developing a very bad di&lect, but he did consider, on the other ■ hand, that there was a very gra,ve clanger that our speech, would' become slovenly and unexpressive.