articulation

All About the ABC’s…

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A, B, C, D, E, F, G…the alphabet song is usually the method used to teach children their alphabet. Although the alphabet song does help, it usually causes children to memorize the melody of the song rather than the actual letter. Especially in the L, M, N, O, P part, it sounds more like “elemeno-pee” than the pronunciation of the letters! After a little research, and using my own creativity, I found a few ways that may help you teach your child the alphabet rather than using the traditional ABC song. The alphabet is the foundation of many important skills that your child will develop in the future; without it reading and writing will not be possible. Knowing the letters is essential, but more important than that, is knowing the sounds of the letters. Reading is usually taught by sounding out the letters and making a word out of the sounds. If a child cannot match the letter A with its corresponding “aaah” sound, then reading is going to be a difficult task. It is important to begin preparing your child for reading at an early age, and exposing him/her to educational resources, it will help them in the long…

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Articulation 101

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Articulation By definition, articulation is the act of vocal expression.  In other words how we enunciate or the manner in which we produce a speech sound. Although articulation may seem simple and  is not be something that we do on a conscious level, in actuality it is a complex process where we use the structures and muscles in our mouths to make specialized movements that produce specific sounds or a combination of sounds. What you need to know about Articulation: Structures we use to articulate, also known as articulators include: lips, teeth, tongue, roof of the mouth, jaw, and lungs. We speak when we exhale. So that you may further understand, let’s do a little exercise: Put your hand in front of your mouth, but not touching your lips and make the “b” sound. You can feel a little burst of air hit your fingers. Now, say the word “bee,” once again pay close attention to the thump of air on your fingers.  This is why when we speak for long periods of time we need to catch our breath! We also use our vocal folds (i.e., vocal cords) to voice when articulating. Put your hand on your throat (i.e.…

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