This article was originally written in Turkish and has been translated into English with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The translation may contain errors; the original Turkish version is the authoritative text.
One of the most important issues in speaking is not using the voice correctly or sufficiently. A speech that cannot be heard, or can only be heard with difficulty, is of no use. Some people do not raise their voice enough because they are shy. Some speak in a barely audible voice out of politeness. At the opposite extreme there are those who speak loudly or shout. These people harm themselves physically, and their speech also reaches listeners as a noise that is hard to listen to. You can hear the sound coming out of their mouth, but you cannot understand what they are saying. They round off sounds, cannot pronounce some sounds at all, or distort them. However knowledgeable people with the characteristics I have described may be, they cannot succeed next to someone who knows less but speaks well. To correct themselves, it will be useful for them to do the exercises and breathing practice I described in earlier articles. I recommend that while doing these exercises they monitor themselves with a recording device, note their mistakes and correct them in later sessions, or else do this work under the guidance of a teacher.
Apart from all this, some people cannot pronounce certain sounds because of physical characteristics such as the structure of their jaw or teeth. If these sounds are worked on carefully, we can achieve a great deal of success. In general we can list these letters as H, R, S and Z. If we cannot pronounce these sounds and swallow them when they occur within or at the end of a sentence, we break one of the basic rules of speaking well.
Now let us examine these sounds one by one.
THE “H” SOUND
Many people do not pronounce the “h” sound when speaking. This is a very important sound and we must always make it audible in our speech. Not being able to say it is related to a small movement of the diaphragm. The diaphragm makes a small movement; if we neglect it, the “h” is not pronounced, and instead of “Ben bir daha gideceğim” (I will go once more) we hear “Ben bir daa gideceğim”. Many football commentators make this “h” mistake a great deal: instead of “Takımlar sahaya giriyor” (The teams are coming onto the pitch) they say “Takımlar saaya giriyor”. I recommend that people who speak this way do diaphragm exercises and read books and newspapers aloud, paying attention to the “h” sound.
THE “R” SOUND
Just as with the “h” sound, some people have difficulty with the “r” sound. Either they cannot pronounce it at all, or they articulate it too far back, so that instead of “r” a soft “g” (ğ) sound is heard further back in the mouth. Both make speech unattractive. The “r” sound is produced starting from the canine teeth, by a light vibration of the tongue against the roots of the upper teeth. If this letter is not articulated well, “para” comes out as “paa” or “kara” as “kaa”. Speaking in this way is not pleasant to the listener’s ear either. So what approach should we follow to correct it?
People who have difficulty pronouncing the “r” sound should first, as always, take a good diaphragmatic breath and, strongly and in an exaggerated way, make the tongue vibrate by saying “Rrrrrrrr…” or “Pprrrrrrr…” until they run out of breath. After these exercises,
Ra-Re-Ri-Ro-Ru-Rö-Rü
Ar-Er-İr-Or-Ur-Ör-Ür
Rar-Rer-Rir-Ror-Rur-Rör-Rür
Tra-Tre-Tri-Tro-Tru-Trö-Trü
Far-Fer-Fir-For-Fur-För-Für
Fra-Fre-Fri-Fro-Fru-Frö-Frü
you can repeat these syllables, slowly at first and then as fast as you can. If you want to go further, you can strengthen your practice by finding words and tongue twisters containing the letter “r” (raket, roka, resim, kara, para and so on).
THE “S” SOUND
This is a problem we come across very often around us. In people who cannot produce the “s” sound correctly, it is heard as a hazy sound, and when they insist on it without awareness it sounds even worse. Some people try to get round this problem by speaking very fast. This way of speaking makes speech even harder to understand and does not help us pronounce the “s” correctly. When producing the “s” sound, the tongue contracts, its tip becomes pointed and approaches the back of the front teeth. People who pronounce “s” incorrectly usually touch their tongue to the point where the upper gum meets the teeth. The air then escapes from both sides of the tongue and a distorted “s” is heard.
If you have difficulty with the “s” sound, after good diaphragm work you can do the following sound exercises:
Sa-Se-Si-So-Su-Sı-Sö-Sü
Sas-Ses-Sis-Sos-Sus-Sıs-Sös-Süs
Asa-Ese-İsi-Oso-Usu-Isı-Ösü-Üsü
As-Es-İs-Os-Us-Is-Ös-Üs
In addition, a person who has dental treatment on their front teeth should always do “s” exercises before the treatment is finished, to check whether their speech is any different from before. Treatment that is not done well and leaves a gap between the teeth will let air escape outwards when speaking, and the “s” sound will again come out distorted. You can help the pronunciation of “s” with words such as saman, sandık, soru, Selami, Sezer, Sezgin, or with tongue twisters such as: “Sandıklı’da sepetleri sıralı simitçi, sofrada sökülen sucukları süpürdü. Selimiye’de sekiz bin sekiz yüz seksen sekiz semerci, seçkin semerlerini sedefçi Sefer’e senetsiz sepetsiz verdi. Sıcaktan sızlayan Sındırgılı sıyrık Sıdıka, sırıktan sıska sıvacısıyla sıtmadan sızlandı. Sokaklarda soluyan somurtkan sobacıyla solucan suratlı soytarılara sonsuz sorularını sordu.”
THE “Z” SOUND
People who have difficulty with the “s” sound usually have difficulty with the “z” sound too, because it is produced in the same place as “s”. An incorrect “s” comes out voiceless, whereas “z”, on the contrary, is more distinct and voiced. You can also improve this kind of speech difficulty with the exercises below.
Za-Ze-Zi-Zo-Zu-Zı-Zö-Zü
Zaz-Zez-Ziz-Zoz-Zuz-Zız-Zöz-Züz
Zar-Zer-Zir-Zor-Zur-Zır-Zör-Zür
You can help correct the “z” sound by repeating plenty of words such as zeka, zalim, zamir, Zile, zeytin, zafer, or tongue twisters such as: “Zevzek Zeki, zehir zemberek zerreleri zeybek Zerrin’e zenci zeytinle verdi. Ziyankâr Ziyâ zibidi Zâide ile Zincirlikuyu’da Zileli Zerdâlizâdelerin ziyafetinde zom oldu.”
(The practice words and tongue twisters are given in the original Turkish, as the exercises depend on Turkish sounds.)
My dear readers, in this article I have focused on the physical problems that stand in the way of speaking well. We must not forget that when they are worked on patiently and carefully, these problems will disappear completely or be reduced to a minimum.