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  1. #1
    Title: "HUBBLE GOTCHU!" (without the quotes, of course [and without "(without the quotes, of course)", of course], etc)
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    Question about minor speech problem

    I'm 22 years old and I just learned recently that I don't pronounce my l's right. It turns out that the reason for this is because I don't actually use my tongue at all to pronounce them. I just close the back of my through (well I guess I do use the back of my tongue a bit. It arches up/backwards to close off the opening of my throat). My l's sound *almost* normal, and when I asked my family about it, they said they never corrected me because it was "close enough".

    The problem is that my voice teacher is telling me that the way I pronounce my l's is really affecting my singing in a bad way. So I'm trying to learn how to pronounce them correctly. I've been working on it for weeks, but my l's sound like "r" or "th" if I try to pronounce it the proper way.

    Is there an age limit for learning new consonants? I've noticed that people who come to America from foreign countries can never pronounce certain syllables if it wasn't native to their language. Does this mean I'll never be able to pronounce l's?

  2. #2
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    no you just gotta work on it, you will get it if you just keep it up. when i pronounce "Love" for example my tounge touches the roof of my mouth, with the tip of my tongue behind my top row of teeth

  3. #3
    Title: "HUBBLE GOTCHU!" (without the quotes, of course [and without "(without the quotes, of course)", of course], etc)
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    Quote Originally Posted by melbufrauma View Post
    no you just gotta work on it, you will get it if you just keep it up. when i pronounce "Love" for example my tounge touches the roof of my mouth, with the tip of my tongue behind my top row of teeth
    Yeah, that's how everyone pronounces it. I've checked my family, friends, people at church, people at school, etc. Everyone I've checked does it the way you said, but I can't do it. How do you keep it from sounding like "r" or "th"? What's the difference between the way you pronounce "r", "th" and "l"? One website I went to says to sound "l" like "th" except with the tongue on the Alveolar Ridge instead of behind my front teeth. But when I try that, it sounds like some strange combination of r and th. Plus I can't even pronounce my own name like that ("lawrenzo". That combination of "l" and "r" is impossible when I try to pronounce 'l' the proper way).

  4. #4

    Quote Originally Posted by Woozie View Post
    I'm 22 years old and I just learned recently that I don't pronounce my l's right. It turns out that the reason for this is because I don't actually use my tongue at all to pronounce them. I just close the back of my through (well I guess I do use the back of my tongue a bit. It arches up/backwards to close off the opening of my throat). My l's sound *almost* normal, and when I asked my family about it, they said they never corrected me because it was "close enough".

    The problem is that my voice teacher is telling me that the way I pronounce my l's is really affecting my singing in a bad way. So I'm trying to learn how to pronounce them correctly. I've been working on it for weeks, but my l's sound like "r" or "th" if I try to pronounce it the proper way.

    Is there an age limit for learning new consonants? I've noticed that people who come to America from foreign countries can never pronounce certain syllables if it wasn't native to their language. Does this mean I'll never be able to pronounce l's?
    Where do I even start?

  5. #5
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    when i pronounce something like "Right" i dont use my tounge, its kind of like making a low growl noise i guess lol idk how to describe it, but when 'th' or "Thanks" the tip of my tounge just goes in between my top and bottom rows of teeth and push air out. its alot harder to explain how to speak than if i was like right in front of you lol

  6. #6
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    You should take a quiz and let the professionals at assburgers&speechimpediments.com fix you right up.

  7. #7
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    Just did a mini test, "th" = tongue behind front teeth, "l" = tongue slightly in front of front teeth, "r" = tongue far in front of front teeth. Just like you said in your post that little ridge in your mouth, place your tongue right there and just try to train yourself idk

    Edit: Wait, while Max is trying to solve every problem in the world, see if you can team up with him and science up a solution.

  8. #8
    Title: "HUBBLE GOTCHU!" (without the quotes, of course [and without "(without the quotes, of course)", of course], etc)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darus Grey View Post
    Where do I even start?
    You seem to know a lot about speech related subjects. Do you have any suggestions or comments?

  9. #9

    I'm just going to leave this here...it might be relevant.

    http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/course.../chapter1.html

    UCLA website gives pronunciation for each human sound, and IPA chart is a guide to the correct way to articiulate each

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ra...ticulation.svg

  10. #10
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Woozie View Post
    Yeah, that's how everyone pronounces it. I've checked my family, friends, people at church, people at school, etc. Everyone I've checked does it the way you said, but I can't do it. How do you keep it from sounding like "r" or "th"? What's the difference between the way you pronounce "r", "th" and "l"? One website I went to says to sound "l" like "th" except with the tongue on the Alveolar Ridge instead of behind my front teeth. But when I try that, it sounds like some strange combination of r and th. Plus I can't even pronounce my own name like that ("lawrenzo". That combination of "l" and "r" is impossible when I try to pronounce 'l' the proper way).
    try practicing this with your L and th. For L place your tongue the same way as your TH, but "shrink" the sides a little. When you say TH your tongue is flattened more and touches both the front teeth but also the side teeth. Your L should only be toughing the front and keep it off the sides. Practice doing them back n' forth this way for awhile (saying "like" and "the").


    Be patient too you can definitely change even as an adult it takes awhile of practicing though before you can start doing it without thinking about it.

  11. #11

    Well Woozie, the first problem is you don't "pronounce your Is right", that's bullshit to begin with. Woozie I don't remember but what ethnicity are you? and did you grow up in Ohio?(yes it's relevant).

    The second issue...which I? I represents 7 different sounds in English...which of them is an "issue"?

  12. #12
    blax n gunz
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    L not I

  13. #13

    Damn my eyes, I'm getting old ;( can't see the difference between l and I anymore.

  14. #14
    Title: "HUBBLE GOTCHU!" (without the quotes, of course [and without "(without the quotes, of course)", of course], etc)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darus Grey View Post
    Well Woozie, the first problem is you don't "pronounce your Is right", that's bullshit to begin with. Woozie I don't remember but what ethnicity are you? and did you grow up in Ohio?(yes it's relevant).

    The second issue...which I? I represents 7 different sounds in English...which of them is an "issue"?
    I mean L. I wrote lower case L's and they look like I's.

    I'm black and grew up in Ohio. But almost everyone who I've checked with over the past few weeks also grew up in Ohio (and are also black) and they pronounce their L's the same way described above.

  15. #15

    Well it's actually not relevant now since I was corrected that we're talking about ls and not Is, otherwise it sounded like an issue with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norther...es_vowel_shift

    L though still represents 4 distinct sounds in English Phonetics...also, you mentioned l comes out as rs.

    That's because l and r are the same sound. In English we only make a distinction from ɹ , l ɾ r and ɬ (the L sounds) are interchangeable depending on where they occur.

  16. #16

    Woozie, do you have skype or something? I could give you more info if I could actually listen to you.

    based on your description it sounds like you're trying to pronunciate

    http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/course...S/Con-54a.AIFF

    but it's coming out as :

    http://www.phonetics.ucla.edu/course...S/Con-55b.AIFF

  17. #17
    I'll change yer fuckin rate you derivative piece of shit
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    Woozie, you need to see a real speech therapist, your vocal teacher isn't enough. I had speech therapy for 2 years as a kid to correct my r and s sounds. Your problem will be something a speech therapist has seen countless times before and will have plenty of tricks to fix both your mouth (so you can make the sound correctly) and your ears (so you can hear the difference).

  18. #18

    Quote Originally Posted by archibaldcrane View Post
    Woozie, you need to see a real speech therapist, your vocal teacher isn't enough. I had speech therapy for 2 years as a kid to correct my r and s sounds. Your problem will be something a speech therapist has seen countless times before and will have plenty of tricks to fix both your mouth (so you can make the sound correctly) and your ears (so you can hear the difference).
    I agree there, your vocal teacher is as much an expert on this issue as a random construction worker.

  19. #19
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    Hey now some random construction workers can speak very well.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darus Grey View Post
    I agree there, your vocal teacher is as much an expert on this issue as a random construction worker.
    What if the construction worker had stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night?

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