Lisp
| Lisp | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Psychiatry  |
A lisp (O E wlisp, stammering)[1] is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism.[2] Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants (like the sound [[Voiceless alveolar fricative|[s]]]), and replace them with interdentals (like the sound [[Voiceless dental fricative|[θ]]]), though there are actually several kinds of lisp. "Interdental" lisping is produced when the tip of the tongue protrudes between the front teeth and "dentalised" lisping is produced when the tip of the tongue just touches the front teeth.
The "lateral" lisp, where the /s/ and /z/ sounds are produced with air escaping over the sides of the tongue, is also called 'slushy ess' or a 'slushy lisp' due to the wet, spitty sound. The symbols for these lateralized sounds are in the Extended International Phonetic Alphabet for speech disorders, [ʪ] and [ʫ].
Finally there is the "palatal lisp" where the speaker attempts to make the sounds with the tongue in contact with the palate.[2]
Speakers of Latin American Spanish often think[citation needed] that speakers of Castilian Spanish speak with a lisp. This is because Castilians have separate phonemes /s/ (spelled s) and /θ/ (spelled z or c), whereas the seseo speakers in Andalucía and Latin America will pronounce both as [s]. A separate phenomenon, known as "ceceo", is observed in parts of Andalucía, where speakers pronounce both of these historical phonemes as [θ]. This is the result of the phonological evolution of the language, not a speech impediment.
Although generally scorned by society and/or mistaken for being "retarded," several prominent people with prominent lisps have been able to overcome this stereotype by using this embarrassing handicap to their advantage. Rock singers Isaac Brock of the band Modest Mouse and John McCrea of the band CAKE have both made successful careers out of not being able to clearly pronunciate their lyrics.
References
- ^ Concise English Dictionary Wordsworth Editions Ltd. 1994, ISBN 1-85326-328-1
- ^ a b Bowen, Caroline. "Lisping - when /s/ and /z/ are hard to say". Retrieved 2006-03-07.