Proper Speech Research Articles

The Inflatable Trope as Narrative Theory: Structure or Allegory?

From all this it follows that all the tropes (and they are all reducible to the four types above discussed), which have hitherto been considered ingenious inventions of writers, were necessary modes of expression of all the first poetic nations, and had originally their full native propriety. But these expressions of the first nations later became figurative when, with the further development of the human mind, words were invented which signified abstract forms or genera comprising their species or relating parts with their wholes. And here begins the overthrow of two common errors of the grammarians: that prose speech is proper speech, and poetic speech improper; and that prose speech came first and afterward speech in verse. [Giambattista Vico, The New Science of Giambattista Vico, trans. T. Bergin and M. Fisch (Ithaca: Cornell, 1970, 3d. ed. 1977), p. 90]

Among the Old Words

SOMEWHERE IN THE DIM PAST of the early nineteenth century (as I suspect but cannot prove), our grandparents or their parents, in pursuit of the pleasures of elegance, clothed their speech, as also their corporosities, in the fashion of the times. Proper speech being an appurtenance of good manners, they composed, and taught their children, certain formulas of polite expression fitting to such social situations as they were liable to encounter.' They knew well that informality is notoriously untrustworthy, that the spur of the moment can urge a speaker to disastrous infelicities. Better far to be prepared, to have an appropriate formula fall trippingly off the tongue. Imagine, for example, the dinner guest who, having partaken of everything in sight, is being plied by his hostess to stuff himself further. Smiling assuredly, he replies, No, thank you. I have had a genteel sufficiency-any more would be superfluity. The occasion is met, the temptation resisted, and the formula has attested the propriety of the guest's upbringing. A preamble to what tale? The tale began when, as editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English, I was asked by an elderly lady in West Virginia to explain the word cironcified (as she spelled it). Neither it, nor anything like it, is in the dictionaries. I began inquiring around me, got a few replies, then printed a query about it in a widely read publication.2 Suddenly the mail began to pour in. To date I have received forty-six letters and several postcards giving the writers' versions, no two exactly alike, of the formula of polite refusal as used by their family or acquaintance, usually by an elderly person, but remembered appreciatively by some younger ones. Most of these formulas have at their center some version of my elderly lady's etymologically mysterious word. The formulas typically fall into two parts (like the elegant one quoted above), one part refusing more food, the other explaining the refusal. A common pattern is My sufficiency is fully surancified; any more would be obnoxious to my fastidious taste. Obviously, the original, serious formula has become inflated; it is on the way to jocular, even satiric, exaggeration. Our attitude toward verbal elegance has changed: one does not say that sort of thing nowadays unless in humorous mockery. Surancified, at the center of the new formula, is clearly intended to be impressive and a bit mysterious. Our evidence suggests that the original formula was elaborated until it became too hard to learn and produced

The palatal elevator button

Some patients have palates of normal length that do not function normally as an integral part of the velopharyngeal sphincter. The mechanical elevation of the palate by means of a plastic button attached to a complete or partial denture can be helpful in the production of proper speech sounds.

Cleft palate and speech.

The problems of speech correction in cases of cleft palate need to be called to the attention of both the specialist in maxillofacial surgery and the family physician. The latter must be able to advise the parents as to the time when an operation is advisable and what the results may be. He must realize the importance of postoperative therapy. Without proper speech training, the patient cannot benefit from one of the major purposes of the operation. In this text, consideration is given to such subjects as congenital clefts of lips and palate; the anatomy and physiology of the normal palate and palatopharyngeal sphincter; the development of cleftpalate surgery; growth, development, and speech; the evaluation of the speech problem; and methods of treatment for these defects. Because this manual is intended primarily for the speech correctionist, many of its medical concepts will seem overly simplified or

Care of the Child with Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate

IT IS impossible to overemphasize the importance of good nursing in the successful management of the child with a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both. The effect of the nurse's contribution is felt whether the child is in the maternity hospital, on the surgical ward, at home, or at school. The newborn infant with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate faces certain major difficulties-first, in establishing and maintaining an adequate airway and second, but no less important, in taking food to maintain life. Later he will face the problems of communicating with others through the use of proper speech and of presenting a pleasing appearance. Obviously, the medical care of such a child begins at birth, and extends through his school years and well into his early adult life. In the past 15 years, 2635 operations for the correction of a cleft lip or palate have been performed at the Children's Medical Center in Boston, Mass. The procedures we will describe are those developed in the plastic surgical unit there, where the routines of preoperative and postoperative care have become well-established (1, 2). Very few other types of surgery require more painstaking nursing care. The same quality of meticulous perfectionism necessary in superior plastic surgery is essential in the supportive care of these patients. The various types of operative procedures, and the considerations involved in selecting the age for repair, will not be discussed here; they have been described in detail elsewhere (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Our policy is to repair a cleft lip when the baby weighs at least six pounds, shows a steady gain in weight, is in good health, and is between four and six weeks of age.

Respiration and speech in the cerebral palsied child.

INFANTILE cerebral palsy affects the brain centers of respiratory regulation, as well as the pharyngeal and laryngeal muscles of respiration, speech, and deglutition. Proper respiration control is prerequisite to proper speech; children with poor respiration control have, for the most part, poor speech. This is irrespective of the level of intelligence if speech performance ability is considered rather than cerebration and thought content. Infantile cerebral palsy is a unique syndrome in that it involves so many peripheral structures and body functions, all consequent to central brain damage. The etiological factors are cataclysmic and of short duration, e. g., cerebral anoxia, trauma (usually hemorrhage), brain infection, and so on. Therefore, the damage is not progressive. However, since it occurs mainly prior to or during birth, at the outset of the person's life, the condition dynamically affects the entire physical, mental, and functional development of the afflicted person. Thus speech, which is

Skills and Methods Developed in Spanish Glasses with the Object of Extending the Reading Program in English

As foreign language teachers we have long been aware of the fact that the American student improves his knowledge of English through study of a foreign language; but under present-day conditions we must realize the necessity for greater emphasis of all means and methods for perfecting the student's command of English. Our challenge, therefore, is the development of a practical program for the advancement of English in our foreign language classes. We must emphasize work reading skills, for vocational needs, while recognizing the value of old skills and retaining their effectiveness. We must also modify our program to so integrate our work that it will expedite its contribution to this imperative end. To obtain a proper perspective we must first analyze the difficulties and general academic weaknesses, such as poor foundation of English grammar, lack of knowledge of proper speech, careless and improper use of the dictionary, index, verb lists, verb endings, charts and maps. We must train our students for retention of vocabulary so that they may not only understand the meaning of the isolated word, but will as easily comprehend the entire thought expressed. To develop, therefore, ability to interpret the printed page, is our problem and our aim. We must, consequently, emphasize (1) correct sentence structure, (2) grammar, (3) vocabulary building, (4) clarification of idioms, and (5) reading. (1) In Sentence Structure we analyze sentences in Spanish in order to find their interpretation in English. We consider the clause in order to obtain the full meaning of the sentence, and its importance as a complete unit of thought. Through the slow and thorough translation of the sentence into English, the pupil develops the habit of reading for the logical development of thought. By means of questions and answers in English, the meaning of the sentence becomes more lucid. Since a literal translation is often impossible, the student must form, in English, clear sentences which express with fidelity the thought or meaning intended. He must also observe punctuation and the character and variety of sentence structure. The long sentences characteristic of the Spanish language afford opportunities for