Speech Issue

tsomson

I was hoping some of you could shed light on a potential issue that I have noticed. I apologize in advance for the length of this post but would be highly grateful for worthwhile advice and knowledge. I have an assumed (minor) difficulty pronouncing certain words. I would say the issue was first cited when I was 12 and persisted to be cited infrequently until the age of 15. From age 15 to 20, I had no indication to believe any issue existed. I am 22 now and in the past two years have partially recognized this to be an issue, including others mentioning it very, very rarely (approx. four times per year).

Specifically, I have noticed a tendency to mispronounce certain sounds, or parts of words, usually by inserting a ‘ch’ or ‘sh’ sound (placement is indicated by underlining). Relevant examples include the words:
-Badge
-Communication
-Duration
-Relationship
-Dash

From my brief research on the topic I concluded that these problems are consistent with a “palatal lisp” and relate to the placement of the tongue when speaking. Again, the issue is very minor but I am quite cognizant of it. That being said, the most bothersome aspect is that I really have no idea how my speech comes across to others; perhaps the issue could be much more blatant than I’m aware because I am used to my own speech.

I am in law school and work in federal politics so the ability to speak clearly is of obvious importance. This is simply an example of trying to turn a weakness into a strength for overall self-improvement. On a final note, I have noticed that my younger brother (age 15) has the exact same problem but to a high degree as mine lessened when my voice became deeper. Considering this, the issue is clearly genetic to an extent.

Any advice on causes, cures, etc. would be incredible and I’m very appreciative of anyone who read this and is willing to help.

Challo

Maybe the most useful thing is to record yourself and listen back? Then you'd have an idea of how you sound to others. The other practical advice would be to drill those words that you know are difficult for you - practice slowing down, getting pronunciation right and tuning into specific movements needed to produce accurate sounds.

I know a few adults who have more obvious speech sound difficulties than you but they have no awareness and therefore do not ever seem bothered by it. My own Mum inserts /sh/ in every 'st' sound so 'stop' is 'shtop'. However, our speech and language is such a part of our identity that if you're worrying about it, I understand and don't mean to sound dismissive.

tsomson

Thank you for the suggestions and insight. I agree that your approach makes the most logical sense and I have been doing some of those tactics. However, a speech pathologist recently told me that this is not a problem that I can fix on my own (anyone with knowledge either way about this?). Performing those exercises, i'm told, would help with my general awareness of my speech and understanding the elements of speech better but would not cure the issue due to the unpredictable nature of one's own 'auditory self-monitoring.'

You bring up an interesting point about this awareness saying some individuals have obvious speech issues but so little awareness that they do not even recognize it. I believe this is what the speech pathologist is touching on: some have incredible awareness of their own speech while others close to none. I would love to find out where I stand. Thanks again for your contributions.

arold10

As you already mentioned in your post that this is a genetic problem that runs into your family. I completely agree with something that Challo mentioned concerning people who have certain speech issues are often not aware if they exist. I found myself in the exact same situation with a speech disorder that I've been struggling with for as long as I can remember. Based on my own perspective, I always believed that it was not that bad, but it was not until last month, I recorded myself with my phone in the middle of a conversation with someone I realized that something was completely wrong.

When listening back to the recording, I quickly realized that my speech was so terrible up to the point that I could not even listen to it anymore because I was so uncomfortable. This gave me a horrible feeling of how my speech come across to others. I would suggest you to at least record yourself, see where you are experiencing difficulties, and start working on them right away.