Speech Impediments?

Question

Well, i have bad promblems wit my "R"s and i cant fix it, ive tried speech classes when i was younger any ideas

Answer 1

The first order of business is to understand there are two types of "r" sounds; the vocalic "r", (ther "er" sound) and the consonantal (pronounced "ruh"). The former is the easier one to learn, and once you get it, you can move to the other one.

There are a few ways to elicit a good "er", but my favorite is the Tony the Tiger "grrrr".  and what you say when cold; "brrrr". This method produces proper tongue placement and tension.

Once you're able to say the above two productions, move on to putting other consonants in the rear position, such a "sirrrr", "currrr", "were", "purrr", etc.

After you've gotten pretty good at this, lengthen the consontal "r" so it sounds a bit like the vocalic "er", as in "errruffle" "errrabbit", then gradually do away with the vocalic "er".

In addition to making the sounds at the beginning and ends of words, progress to the sound placed in the middle of words, always starting out with the vocalic "er", in words like "moderate".

Once you've mastered the productions in words, use phrases, sentences, and reading paragraphs aloud. Practice in conversation, too. Basically, just talk to yourself, and you'll have it down.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I've have the very same problem and I'm almost 38. When I was in elementary school I too went to speech classes to correct the problem that I had at pronouncing my "R's" but was unable to to. My speech therapist told me that I had a "Lazy tongue and that nothing can be done to correct it other than regular practice."

Answer 3

I would suggest trying therapy again, even if for a brief time just to have the therapist help you achieve the correct placement.  If you ask your doctor, he can give you a referral. Even if you dont qualify for therapy, they can help you get started and give you advice on doing therapy on your own.