ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates pronunciation, the way words are accented and inflected. Missing teeth, a fissure in the upper lip, a cleft palate, nasal blockage, metal orthodontic braces or any degree of facial paralysis may make it impossible for a speaker to pronounce words clearly. Mispronunciations may result from a simple mistake, such as reading amendable for amenable, outrage for outage, meditation for mediation, or through for though. Speech sounds may be classified as vowels, diphthongs, and consonants. Vowel sounds are usually classified according to the placement of the tongue in the mouth, the tongue being the only articulator that materially affects their production. Diphthong deviation tends to be regional and, though not necessarily substandard, is not compatible with Standard American Speech. The chapter discusses a closely related topic, articulation—the breaking up of the sounds of speech into recognizable words. Most articulation problems arise from speaking too rapidly or from improper placement or faulty use of the articulators.
