Hi!

I think it is great that you found this forum and that you want to improve some aspects of your speech skills!

I am curious why you are too embarrassed to go to a speech therapist. Does that mean you don't want others to know that you are seeking help or is it that you would be embarrassed to work with such a person? Speaking as a speech therapist myself, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with a mature young person who is highly motivated to learn and make some improvements.

Do you have access to a speech therapist?

Lots of people have difficulties with s and r sounds. When these difficulties do not change on their own, therapy can be necessary and very helpful. An experienced therapist will have many methods to have you try and can coach you to make the changes that are necessary to make these sounds correctly.

In terms of your voice sounding "weird" to you, will you describe it in a little more detail? Does it sound nasal? Weak or breathy? Too high or low?

I hope you will write back.

Good luck and best wishes to you!

Mary Lou

What do you think would be your parents' reactions if you talked to one or both of them? Is there a chance that they might welcome having you bring up your concern so they can support you? Is there any chance they have noticed what you have noticed but haven't wanted to bring it up before you did?

If you aren't comfortable talking to them about it, is there another trusted relative, teacher, doctor, or someone else you might confide in? Is there any way to work with a teacher or speech therapist before or after school so that other students don't know?

If your answer to all of these questions is "no", what are you hoping to learn from someone online (through this forum)?

Mary Lou

You sound very certain that you do not want to feel embarrassed by confiding in any adult right now about your desire to improve some aspects of your speech. I can appreciate your interest in finding some exercises online.

While it is not possible or ethical for me or any speech therapist to provide a clinical service to someone via the internet, I am willing to provide some general educational information to you and other readers regarding how speech sounds are made. You may be able to make use of some of the information to help yourself. I continue to urge you to talk with an adult you think would offer you support and guidance. I think it is wonderful that you want to improve your speech. Please know that there are speech therapists who are ready and eager to help teenagers.

I am going to start with the elements of the production of the /s/ sound.

To make an accurate /s/ sound, a person needs to put his or her tongue tip just behind the upper teeth or the lower teeth (people vary in what works for them). The teeth need to be closed so they can cut the airflow. The tongue should not press on the teeth or come through the teeth. If there are spaces between the teeth, the pink color of the tongue should not be visible. In the case of a lisp, an individual needs to work at keeping the tongue back so that just air hits the teeth. The lips should be in a smile position until the /s/ has been finished before changing to the shape needed by the vowel that follows. The practice of st- blends (stay, stop, store, etc) can be helpful for some people.

In terms of your perceived "nasal" voice quality, here is a quick test you can do for yourself. Hold a small mirror (like from a cosmetic case) flat right under your nostrils. Say words like bobby, boot, tea, tippy, see, sick--any words that do NOT contain m, n, or ng. Take the mirror away to look at it after each word (take it away fast enough so that it doesn't pick up any exhalation of leftover air). Is there any "fog" on the mirror--or no fog? Now say some words that DO contain m, n, or ng like moon, mummy (mommy), nine, sing, etc. Do you see any fog now? Is the mirror the same for both sets of words, or different?

How about writing back about that mirror exercise, and I will provide some information.

Best wishes!

Mary Lou

That's good news on the mirror test. It checks for nasal emission. A mirror should fog for nasal sounds (m, n, ng) but not for nonnasal sounds (all others). Nasal emission can be an indication of some palatal insufficiency that, if it exists, should be evaluated by a physician like an ear, nose, throat specialist.

I will be happy to write some general information about /r/ production. The /r/ is the most complex sound in English. Production of /r/ varies widely across languages and dialects. I will only be able to provide basic information about the production of the /r/ sound in Standard American English which does not have any type of trill. There are 2 ways to make the /r/ I am talking about. In most cases of weak /r/ production, a person's tongue is too "relaxed" in the mouth and sits low, rather motionless. It needs to "work" more with use of the muscles. One way is to make the tongue pull back (just as it does for the k or g sounds) and to have the back sides of the tongue contact the upper molar teeth. From this starting position, the speaker is more able to say "ruh" (consonant r) or "er" (vowel r). (The cheeks need to have some tightness, too. The lips must not form the /w/ sound but rather be in a "tight smile" shape.) The other method is to have the tongue tip flex backward.

Truly, learning to make a better /r/ can take some time and coaching. If reading general information about production does not help, you deserve to work with a therapist. It can take several weeks of coaching to make this change. Please do not be discouraged. Your motivation to improve will take you far, but please reconsider working with someone with the experience to guide you.

I hope you will write back about what you have decided to do.

Best wishes!

Mary Lou

That's great that you have been trying to make some changes in sound production. You have discovered some very tricky words. Add earth and girl to your list!

In general, it is best to start with easy words and then work up to the more complicated words.

Also, in general, improving a lisp /s/ should be easier than improving an /r/.

Working on an /r/ really is very complex. When I work with someone, I lay out a hierarchy of steps that need to be accomplished in a certain order. Are you sure you won't consider working with a speech therapist? That would really help you gain some direct coaching specific to your needs and abilities to make your practice pay off more. Please reconsider it!

Mary Lou

I truly think that you would feel less frustration working with a speech therapist since that person could help you understand why your lip is twitching when you only want your tongue to be making the r sound. I wish I could be of more help via this forum, but I cannot. Please consider taking that step and working with someone local who is a member of my profession.

I wish you success. You can do this...with the right coaching!

Best wishes,

Mary Lou