Evening star., 1937-05-24
There Is Spe the Amber Days Late Spring Early Sumn
Manner of
S p e-e c h
May Have Effect on
Success or Failure
T. of Youngster.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

BY ANOELO fA1hl.
0UR tongue lends itself to lazy
speech. 1t is so difficult to pro-
nounce some of our words clearly,
sounding the essential voWels and
consonants, that we take shortcuts
and slur them into sounds that by
long usage grow more and more for
eign to their original sound.
"Whatcha doin'?"
'Doncha Wishya noo?"
The two boys understood each other,
Of course, but who else would, or who
would wish to interpret such sounds?
Children are not alone in their care
lessness. They are following copy
rather closely. Speech is largely ini-
tative in the young.
Clear, correct speech is no mean
accomplishment, and its achievement
marks one who has an intelligent
mind and will to back it up. Speech
has its effect on thinking. Thinking
has its effect on speech in return.
One thing is certain. The child who
Is taught to speak with clarity and
precision is more likely to think that
way. That gives him an immediate
advantage in all social, relations.
People find it hard to listen for any
length of time to even a Well-nlodu-
lated, clearly spoken message. They
soon give up trying to hear speech
that is uttered in blurred and broken
sounds that may or may not suggest
familiar words. People of affairs will
not give any time to one whose speech
marks him as taught, under
practiced in the use of his tongue
They put him down either as ignorant
or stupid and they want nothing fur
ther to do with him.
A persons speech betrays his back
ground and his training as nothing
else can do. Good clothes, session
with the beauty barber masseuse-
baths cover a multitude of secrets
but once the tongue utters a word, the
true 1nwardness of the personality is
disclosed. Either it is right and ac-
ceptable, or it is not, and that is
aettled swiftly, at breath.
There is no reason why any Ameri-
can school child should not acquire
clear speech, a. well-modulated voice,
a good vocabulary. He Is offered
every opportunity to acquire them in
school. Occasions for practice are as
numerous as minutes of the school
session. Too often children, especially
those of the middle and uper elemen-
tary grades, feel self-conscious about
talking correctly, and some of them,
those who can least afford it, go out
way. One boy, on being asked to make
an oral report in class said, do
have to talk school style or just every
day style?" If it were school style he
wanted to beg off 1t was too much
work and anyway the kids would
laugh at him!
All this is natural enough. Correct
speech is difficult for children begin
ming to learn the use Of language.
But early childhood is the time for
this learning. Between the ages of
s and 10, roughly indicated, children
acquire lifetime habits of speech. 1t
Is during these years that they have
10 De Nelu SIIlctly 70 ACCOUNT lot WIlaC
they say and how they say 1t. Once
the habit is set, 1t remains.
Make no mistake about this.
Speech, the manner and the substance
OF it, is highly important in deciding
the success or failure of a young
person.
Mr.. Patri has prepared leaflet
entitled, "Convalescent Children" In
which he tells parents how 70 help
children to entertain themselves with
out fatigue. Send for 1t, addressing
your request to Mr.. Angelo Patri Child
Psychology Department Of this paper.
lnclose a self addressed, stamped
.(3-cent) envelope.