2. By manipulating the organs of speech so that they produce correct sounds. (See The Sounds of English, by Henry Sweet, p. 16.)

176. Imitation. a. This is perhaps the quickest and easiest way, and the only one that can be used by the teacher who has not had the training necessary for the other method. The success of imitation depends largely upon the ear of the pupil. If the pupil detects readily the difference in sound between his own speech and the standard set by the teacher, he will be able gradually to bring his own speech up to that standard. However, for various reasons, many dialect-speaking pupils cannot hear their own faults.

b. The first thing to find out in each case of dialect is what sounds are misproduced. To do this listen closely to the speaking and reading of the pupil and make careful notes of every word in which there is any trace of dialect, until there are collected a considerable number of observations. Then classify the errors and note carefully the ones which occur most frequently. For example, in the case of X may be found three chief faults:

w is pronounced v we = ve
th is pronounced d-this dis

z is pronounced ss-his his

C. If X can hear the difference between w and v, th and d, z and ss, it will be enough to call attention to his errors and furnish sufficient practice in the right sounds, until he wears out the dialect. If, however, X is tone-deaf or otherwise

deficient and insists "I do not say ve, I say ve!" the other plan must be followed to cure him.

177. The manipulation of the organs of speech. a. It is a scientific fact that when any set of speech organs is placed in a certain position, a certain sound will be made. The anatomy of normal persons is nearly enough alike for this. The properly equipped teacher should know exactly what position the speech organs should take for every sound, vowel or consonant; and he should know how to get a pupil's speech organs into each position. For example, in the w-v sounds given above, the teacher should show the pupil that v is made by thrusting the lower lip against the upper front teeth, and that w is made by pushing the lips forward in front of the teeth as far as they will go, and rounding them. When a pupil's lips are in this latter position, he cannot possibly make the sound of v, and vice versa.

b. The descriptions of the various vowel and consonant sounds and the illustrations that accompany them will help even an untrained teacher to use this second method of manipulation.

c. Faulty consonant sounds are not so hard to correct as are faulty vowel sounds. There are certain vowel sounds in every language that are peculiar to that language. They cannot be used in speaking another language, although the spelling may be the same in both. The earlier children can be drilled in the use of the American vowels, the better. Such drill should continue until American vowels are fixed. Vowel drill and consonant

drill need not necessarily be separated, although for various reasons progress will be faster if the vowel sounds are first corrected.

d. No better exercises can be here given than those already prescribed in the sections on Vowels and Consonants.

178. Rhythm a source of dialect. Rhythm, which is largely the result of emphasis, is another source of dialect speech. A child that speaks a foreign language in his home often carries the foreign "accent" into his American speech. This habit can be cured by careful attention to emphasis when he reads or speaks the American speech. This has been explained in the section on Emphasis, and the exercises given there will be found useful in establishing the American speech rhythm.

179. Intonation a source of dialect. Another source of dialect is tone. American is not a tonal speech in any technical sense, and yet there are in it certain characteristic intonations peculiar to the language. These must be acquired, and they can only be acquired by patient and intelligent drill, that will drive out alien intonation and establish American. This is a matter too delicate and complicated to discuss on paper. Perhaps the phonograph may in time be used for such instruction.

CHAPTER VI

SPEAKING IN PUBLIC

180. Why do we speak? There are four reasons for speaking to an audience:

1. To entertain it.

2. To explain something that you want it to know.

3. To convince it that it should believe as you do.

4. To get it to act as you would have it act.

A single purpose may prompt you to speak, or the purposes may be, and usually are, combined. 181. To entertain. This is the purpose of narration and description. Entertainment usually takes the form of story-telling, relating unusual occurrences, describing quaint persons or places, and the like. To be entertaining a speaker must make his hearers see what he describes as he saw it, hear it as he heard it, feel it as he felt it, smell and taste it as he smelled and tasted it. In other words he must appeal directly to the senses of his hearers. Such appeal is best made by the use of concrete details that have come within the experience of the listeners. Interest is most readily gained by the use of first-hand, concrete details; in fact it is difficult to arouse it in any other

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way. Hence most entertainment is either narrative or descriptive.

NOTE: This subject (Interest) is discussed at length in many rhetorics. It is admirably treated in Chapter II of Charles Sears Baldwin's Composition, Oral and Written (Longmans, Green & Co.).

182. To explain. This is the purpose of exposition. A classroom recitation on any subject, telling how to make something, how to run a machine, how to break a horse, how to trim a hat, how to build a camp-fire, how to get from one place to another, such things as these require perfect clearness. They must be easily

understood to be of value. If in addition to being made clear they can also be made interesting, their value is doubled, and speakers should make use of first-hand, concrete details to illustrate their expository matter.

The principle of clearness is more difficult to carry out in speaking than in writing, because an audience has but one chance to hear what is spoken, whereas a reader may go over what is written as many times as necessary to understand. it. Not only should the usual rules for clearness be followed, but a speaker should study his audience and by simplicity of statement, illustration, repetition, re-statement, be sure that what he says is understood.

183. To convince. This is the purpose of argument. Argument appeals to the reason of hearers, to their minds. It goes a step farther than exposition. A statement may be interesting, or it may be perfectly clear, and yet not be con