Terrible for mispronouncing things

[Suzanne]

I have a wide vocabulary and quickly pick up on new words and they are always popping into my head in a conversation, but I sometimes do not get the pronounciation right.

Really bad with sounding vows out and so, am always making spelling mistakes.

Just now, my husband who works alongside a black guy, related how the black guy hit out and said it is not because he is black ( he had been doing something that was not a good idea and my husband had to point it out and the guy did not like this ( I see both sides). Anyway, I said: he considers you a white supermacist and in truth, I had been pronoucing it wrong and why to me, it seemed a new word So, I thought I would look it up and much to my embarrassment realised how it is supposed to be pronounced and so glad I have not said this word to anyone!

 

[pjcnet]

I have problems sounding my "R"s, unless I consciously force myself they sound like "W"s and when I was younger I couldn't pronounce my "R"s at all. I always remember practising with the following sentence, "the ragged rascal ran round the rugged rocks", but it would normally apparently sound like "the wagged wascal wan wound the wugged wocks", the problem is even if I really force myself to say the "R" sound correctly, it's still difficult for me to tell whether I'm saying it correctly or not as it sounds the same to me.

I was extremely slow with speech development as a young child and for years there was various sounds I struggled to pronounce. I also appeared to have low functioning autism like both my brothers, although unlike them I started improving generally as I grew older even though I was still left with numerous autistic traits into adulthood. My speech also improved over time and continued to improve further as an adult, although I still have problems sounding my "R"s. Apart from that I can now pronounce the majority of words relatively well even though I'm told my voice sounds unusual sometimes with little expression. My only other speech problem as an adult is regarding controlling the level of my voice where often told that I'm shouting even when to myself I sound normal.

Unlike many people however I also have a couple of minor physical defects that I was born with that are apparently more common in autistic children including spasticity in my back which has caused some back pain as an adult and even as a child the furthest I could reach when attempting to touch my toes has always been my knees. I also have a slightly misshaped tongue which is particularly flat at the front and not at all pointed. My tongue shape has also apparently made it more difficult for me to pronounce certain sounds and in the 1970s when I was still a young child I was scheduled to have an operation to help correct it. The operation was however later cancelled since I started overcoming most pronunciation problems by myself with the help of a specialist speech therapist and experts then decided that it was then better to leave my tongue as it was.

 

[OrSomething]

Like @pjcnet, I had trouble pronouncing many sounds as a young child, such as R, TH and Y sounds. I had to have speech therapy, and while I hated going, it did help a lot. Yet I still have trouble pronouncing R and L sounds at the ends of syllables. This has led several people to inquire if I'm British (I'm not).

 

[Gritches]

I avoid saying the word "bag" or anything with that particular "a" sound because apparently my accent makes it unintelligible to anyone outside Minnesota or the upper midwest in general I guess. No matter how hard I try to I can't get it right.

 

[Chance]

I had trouble with "R" stuff when I was little. I didn't really talk much. Still would rather not, its lots of mental work, but often people see me as a jerk that is rude because of it...

Whats crazy when no ones around I can sing a song I have memorized, and never miss a word or miss pronounce a word... I never want anyone to hear me sing, but it makes me know that something is triggering my normal speech??? Other Tourettes people seem to have this same thing.

To this day people always comment on how I say oil, soil, boil... etc. And white, bright, right, sight, fight, etc...

I have a crazy time with the "I's" and "ights" it gets stuck and it sucks. Its like it draaaagggs out and the I is too pronounced, and I try very hard to not let it happen. Sometimes I can make it sound right. Yet, I try so hard that I squint my eyes in some weird way, and people have commented on that also.

One jerk asked me not long ago if I was having a stroke or something. That was nice to hear. In my case its mild Tourettes and its the most freaking aggravating thing in the world.

So I try not to say those words (or any words) as much as possible. It makes me sound, and look like, some dumb a** hick (stroke victim) and I get annoyed at myself over it. Speech just sucks basically. I like being the quiet one, and then I get on here type like my fingers are on fire... Its ridiculous, but it lets me get stuff out that I hold in out in the harsh world... : )

So thank you to all of you who put up with me... Even Suzanne when I misspell your name : )

 

[Suzanne]

I had trouble with "R" stuff when I was little. I didn't really talk much. Still would rather not, its lots of mental work, but often people see me as a jerk that is rude because of it...

Whats crazy when no ones around I can sing a song I have memorized, and never miss a word or miss pronounce a word... I never want anyone to hear me sing, but it makes me know that something is triggering my normal speech??? Other Tourettes people seem to have this same thing.

To this day people always comment on how I say oil, soil, boil... etc. And white, bright, right, sight, fight, etc...

I have a crazy time with the "I's" and "ights" it gets stuck and it sucks. Its like it draaaagggs out and the I is too pronounced, and I try very hard to not let it happen. Sometimes I can make it sound right. Yet, I try so hard that I squint my eyes in some weird way, and people have commented on that also.

One jerk asked me not long ago if I was having a stroke or something. That was nice to hear. In my case its mild Tourettes and its the most freaking aggravating thing in the world.

So I try not to say those words (or any words) as much as possible. It makes me sound, and look like, some dumb a** hick (stroke victim) and I get annoyed at myself over it. Speech just sucks basically. I like being the quiet one, and then I get on here type like my fingers are on fire... Its ridiculous, but it lets me get stuff out that I hold in out in the harsh world... : )

So thank you to all of you who put up with me... Even Suzanne when I misspell your name : )

I am like you, Chance, that I prefer to type. Rather ironically, I live in France, where the R is very hard to pronounce for the English anyway. AIR but drawn out, is how is supposed to be said and to a certain point, I am ok with it, but I do remember as I child I had difficulties with the R too.

When I am very nervious around certain people, I suddenly develope stuttering and get so frustrated or if I am suddenly centre of stange; more than one to one.

I used to be called spastic when I was younger, because of how quiet I was and shy; I think it was a popular word to use in all contexts.

My husband just the other day, blew up at me for always typing my thoughts down. He gets frustrated because he is not a typer and does not have much time to type anyway and so, he hit out: why can't you be like a normal person and TALK. I think it is WEIRD that you send me emails if you need to discuss things. I just said: in that case, we will not talk then, because it is the only way my thoughts are clear.

I would love to become mute, so I have no choice but type my words. And there is no need to "put up with you" and you have not spelt my name wrong, but just to give a warning: NEVER put: A instead of E at the end of my name and you will stay in my "good books"