It seems to some that the main thing is to say what you think, but how is not important. However, this is an extremely wrong opinion! Many examples can be given when the wrong tone (such a trifle!) Of the conversation led to great misunderstandings and dramas ...
"Prosodia" - translated from Greek ...
Modern scholars interpret the meaning of this Greek word differently.
- In philology, which studies the metric side of speech, these are its indicators such as stressed, unstressed, and syllables of different lengths of sound (long, short).
- Linguistics calls prosody the system of their pronunciation.
- Others denote the doctrine of stress by this word.
Sounding speech can be characterized by several indicators - strength and melody of pronunciation, speed - pace, timbre.
For example, the military command differs sharply in sound from the affectionate coo of the mother over the baby.
So, the prosodic side of speech is its sound side, a complex combination of its components such as rhythm, strength, timbre, melody, pace, logical stress, diction, flight of voice. These elements provide the transmission and understanding of emotions, allow you to distinguish between the semantic nuances of speech.
Components of speech expressiveness
In people with poorly developed prosodism, the establishment of social contacts is violated, the choice of the field of labor activity is limited.
It, like a mosaic, consists of various components, the main of which is intonation. In turn, this is also the sum of expressive language means, the correct combination of which makes the prosodic side of speech an important way of communication:
- melodic - a change in the pitch and power of pronunciation of vowel sounds, which, at the request of the speaker, allows you to express feelings with their smallest shades (tenderness, pride, disappointment, joy, etc.);
- rhythm - the result of toning the voice in pitch and alternating stressed and unstressed syllables, as well as characterized by longitude;
- pace - is determined by the number of pronounced sounds, syllables, words, for example, per second;
- logical, phrasal stress - an increase in tension or pitch of the voice, with the emphasis on words, phrases by pauses to give the statement a special meaning;
- timbre of speech - its individual sound coloring;
- pauses - complete the statement of individual sentences, thoughts; psychological pauses - a way of influencing the emotions of the interlocutor, the audience;
- voice power - changing the volume of pronunciation of individual words, phrases. Depends on the degree of tension of the vocal cords and the pressure of exhaled air;
- diction is the result of vigorous work of the speech apparatus: good diction is a clear, pure pronunciation.
With the skillful use of these intonational means, thoughts are expressed to the speaker more precisely, more variedly, as well as all shades of his feelings and experiences.
Patterns of development
An interesting scientific fact: in comparison with the verbal, the sound side of speech begins to develop in babies at a very early age and without difficulty. The first cry at birth already expresses the mental state of the new person. Moreover, in infants it is acoustically different, overtone individual.
At 2-3 months, new intonations, voice modulations appear.
Walking and spontaneous humming at 3-4 months are designed to attract the attention of others, the child gradually assimilates the intonations of adults.
At the age of 4-6 months, babble is formed, that is, humming breaks up into localized syllables characteristic of native speech, which indicates the beginning of syllabic formation. At first, the child repeats the same syllables many times, and then combines the different ones, changing the volume and pitch of the voice. By the end of this period, intonations, rhythm, sounds are intensively mastered, which by the age of 8 months become similar to phonemes of the language, their combinations appear - forerunners of the first words. They appear at about 12 months old. In communicating with adults, thanks to imitation, the child begins to consciously use prosodic elements such as melody, voice power, and varies intonation.
Acceleration of pace and improvement of the rhythmic side of speech occur as the pronunciation of sounds and syllables and their combinations is practiced. In the speech of a two-year-old baby there are simple phrases, stresses, but intermittence and repetition are characteristic of it. He still does not possess speech breathing and does not know how to regulate the rate of pronunciation.
The melody and phrase become more complicated in the 5th year of life, expressiveness improves, the ability to distinguish sounds is improved, which is necessary for recognizing similar words. Often mistaken in stress.
By the end of 6 years, the child speaks quickly, but fuzzy, quietly. He has insufficient mobility of the lips, tongue, lower jaw, breathing during speech is lost, which affects the sound pronunciation.
Gradually, with the accumulation of speech skills, the speech of a preschooler becomes more correct, meaningful, intonationally expressive.
Formation Conditions
The most important conditions for the proper development of the prosodic side of speech are, firstly, the normal functioning of the central nervous system, secondly, normal hearing, and thirdly, the correct adult pronunciation pattern.
In the absence or decrease in physical hearing, the causes of serious speech disorders in a child often lie, including its expressiveness, since it does not have an auditory model to imitate speech actions.
Defects in phonemic hearing, due to which the child has the ability to distinguish sounds and syllables, are expressed in their incorrect perception and pronunciation, misunderstanding of similar words. Therefore, when he enters school, he can hardly master reading and writing.
The formation of the prosodic side of speech proceeds all the more successfully, the more correct the samples the baby receives from adults from the first days of life. All its flaws - loud, slurred, intonationally poor, too fast or too slow - will certainly be copied and in the future will become flaws in his own manner of speaking.
Types of Violations
Violations of the prosodic side of speech are characteristic of people of different ages:
- The disadvantages of its temporal design are excessively high or insufficient speed, fuzziness, violation of the sound and syllabic structure of words, spasms.
- Violations of voice formation - distortion of timbre, pitch, lack of strength.
- Sound pronunciations - mixing sounds, their absence or distortion, replacement.
- Violations of intonational expressiveness - speech is inexpressive, monotonous, the child does not distinguish intonation.
Very often, with a good understanding of the speech addressed to him, the child cannot independently speak or repeat the phrase with the specified characteristics for the adult.
Violations of the sound design of speech as a result of diseases
Injury to the brain and infection before birth or in the postnatal period can adversely affect speech in general and its prosodic in particular. For instance:
- dysarthria is characterized by insufficiency of innervation of the organs of speech;
- Alalia - with good intellectual inclinations and normal hearing, speech is defective or completely absent;
- stuttering;
- dysphonia - shortcomings of diction, pitch, voice power with defects in the vocal apparatus;
- bradylalia - monotony, inexpressiveness of speech, its insufficient pace with fuzzy articulation;
- tachyllalia - an excessively fast pace, improper rhythm of speech, distortion, lack of syllables, sounds;
- dyslalia - violations of the pronunciation of one or more sounds, deviations in the psychophysical development are not observed;
- rhinolalia - nasal and distortion of sound pronunciation.
The prosodic side of speech is an object of close attention and care for adults. External manifestations of its shortcomings may be the result of hidden serious and far-reaching violations of the development of the child’s nervous system.
Identification of defects and their causes
At the slightest suspicion of a child having an unsuccessful course of speech formation, one should not hope that he "will outgrow, grow wiser and learn to speak." Violations of the prosodic side of speech - this is an obligatory reason to turn to the following specialists for advice:
- Check hearing acuity with an otolaryngologist.
- The neuropathologist will help to verify the absence or presence of damage to the speech centers of the brain and its other parts.
- The level of mental development will be checked by a child psychiatrist, psychologist or defectologist.
- A speech therapist will diagnose speech defects based on the age of the child, including the state of the prosodic side of speech.
In a conversation with the mother, specialists will find out if there were any deviations in the bearing of the child, traumatic situations during and after childbirth, hereditary causes of the revealed violations, whether a healthy lifestyle is supported in the family (alcohol, chemicals, tobacco smoking, balanced nutrition, psychological climate). Summarizing the results of the survey, experts will propose the most rational course of general and speech development and parenting.
Caution: the child has dysarthria
The reasons for which there are violations of the innervation of the speech organs are many. They can affect different parts of the brain, have different severity. A mild degree - erased dysarthria - can be detected during a speech therapy test, and with severe (anarthria) paralysis of the speech muscles completely deprives the patient of the opportunity to speak.
All or almost all components of the prosodic side of speech in dysarthria are impaired. Its external signs, which parents and carers should pay attention to: the child hardly swallows and chews, inaccurately performs small movements and poorly articulates sounds.
Children with a significant degree of this disease are sent to specialized schools. Given their age, the form of dysarthria, they are prescribed medication, classes with a psychologist, speech therapist.
Receptions for correcting speech expressiveness deficiencies
In working with speech therapists, specialists use both ready-made manuals and their own development of classes, games, exercises. Considering that the features of the prosodic side of speech are such that they require constant monitoring and exercises, the kids are offered homework to develop and consolidate the knowledge and speech skills acquired in kindergarten classes. At individual and group consultations for parents, experts tell how to conduct special exercises at home. For example: singing vowels to music changing in volume and tone; unfolding and naming pictures, toys with a given sound; reading memorized poems, tongue twisters loudly and quietly, joyfully and angrily, slowly and quickly.
Children are very fond of theatrical games, so attracting them to the performance of feasible roles is one of the common methods of developing the prosodic side of speech.
This is necessarily accompanied by an example of intonation of the hero’s speech and its reproduction, analysis of mistakes made, repeated execution, correlation of the speed and rhythm of speech with movements, tonality, feelings. In this case, an adult shows how to use gestures, facial expressions, body movements to enhance the emotional effect.
To summarize ...
If the examination of the prosodic side of speech revealed the child’s impairment, the specialist, a speech therapist, will give specific advice to parents on how to correct them. The main goal is the organization of such work, the result of which will be the formation of a conscious attitude of the child himself to the act of speaking, the ability to analyze, compare, imitate the right patterns. He must overcome the feeling of shame, learn to communicate with others without fear.
In most cases, the development of the prosodic side of speech is a completely solvable task, although not a momentary one. In severe forms of its violation, special attention should be paid to the socialization of the child, and to teach him how to use non-verbal means of communication.