It's called the letter sh. How to correct your pronunciation as an adult

It's difficult, but it's possible. You can learn to pronounce the correct sound quite quickly. The difficulty is that for quite a long time you will have to constantly control yourself during a conversation. You will have to change an automatic skill that has been established for years.

We continue the series of articles from the “English Pronunciation” series and today the wonderful teacher Dave Skonda will teach you how to pronounce sh sound[∫] is correct.

Pronunciation of the letter combination SH. Sound [ʃ]

Before you start watching the video, please note that speakers of languages ​​that do not have this sound pronounce it instead s[s] or ch. There is a similar sound in the Russian language - the sound “sh”. But it is weak, since articulation in Russian is very sluggish -> . To get the sound right, you need to monitor the position of your lips and pronounce the sound clearly, blowing air forcefully. So, watch the video, repeat after the announcer and follow our advice. I did it, so you can too!

Video from a native speaker “Sound [ʃ]”

You may think you make the sound correctly but it may not be strong enough.
This requires mouth movement and air pressure.
Sh-sh…..
For practice exaggerate the mouth position. Remember. For practice. Exaggerate like this: sh-sh-sh!

You may think you are pronouncing this sound correctly, but it may not be “strong” enough.

Remember! Pause the video any time to practice. Remember to pause the video and practice.

Ok, we're gonna talk about some common mistakes with the “sh-sound”

The first word we gonna look at is “shoe”
Some people will say: "sues". I like your "sues". Where did you get your “sues”? No, it is shoes.

Or I like your “chews”. That's nice "chews". Where can I buy some chews? No, it is shoes. Say it with me “shoes”

So we'll talk about the most common mistakes when pronouncing the sound sh.

First, let's take the word "shoe" as an example. Some people pronounce it "soufflé". I like your souffles. Where did you get these “souffles”? No, that's right: SHOES.

I like your "chuffles". Excellent “chuffles”. Where can I buy “chuffles?” No, that's right SHOES.

The next one is “ship”.
Some people will say “That’s a beautiful sip. I like that sip. I will go on sip." Or other people say “That’s a beautiful chip.” I like your chip." It's ship. Say with me "ship"

My comment: I once received a comment from someone who doesn’t care about pronunciation, and he states it directly. However, in this case, you will really look funny in the eyes of a foreigner, just as you would be funny if you pronounced “souffle” or “chuflya” instead of SHOEF and “sorable” instead of SHIP.

Let's take the following word "ship"
Some people will say: "sorable". I like this "sorable". I'll go on the Sorable.

Or this: This is a beautiful “ship”. I like this "ship". No, SHIP. Say CO-RA-BL.

Ok, let's try the “sh-sound” at the beginning of the words:
I will say it, then you repeat.
sh are
sh ake
sh y
sh owgirl

Make sure the lips are out: " sh owgirl sh y." That's good.

Now let's try to pronounce sh sound at the beginning of words. It should be funny. Repeat after me:

Make sure your lips are drawn out: " sh owgirl s h y." That's so good!

Now let’s try this “sh-sound” in the middle of the words. This should be fun. Repeat after me:
mi ss ion
o c ean
wa sh er
ti ss ue
Look at my mouth position: ti ss ue, ti ss ue

Now we will pronounce sh sound in the middle of words. Repeat after me:

Watch your mouth position: ti ss ue,ti ss ue

Ok, let's try this “sh-sound” at the end of the words. It is very important at the end. Repeat after me:

English sh
fi sh
tra sh
puny sh
Exaggerate the "sh-sound". Look at my mouth (push your lips out far): “punish.”
If you don’t practice, I am going to punish you.

Now we will pronounce sh sound at the end of words. This is a very important sound at the end. Repeat after me:

Let's try some phrases:

Shame on you!

Please repeat after me.

The showgirl will punish anyone on the ship…
(pause)
who doesn't speak clear English.
That’s outlandish (very unusual, strange)! Tino, get me some tissue….
(pause)

Now let's try to pronounce the phrases:

Do you think the shy show girl will shake her shoes for me?
With my luck, I doubt she will shake anything for me.
Shame on you!

Repeat after me:

The showgirl will punish anyone on the ship… (pause) who doesn’t speak clear English.
(pause)
That’s outlandish (very unusual, strange)! Tino, get me some tissue…. (pause)
and please put the dishtowels in the washer!
(pause)

I will speak. When I stop you repeat. Ok? And really hit this “sh-sound” hard.

Will you share your fish…(pause) that you caught in the ocean…. (pause)…on our mission to clean up the trash?
(pause)

Ok, it's very good.

I'll tell you. When I stop, you repeat. Fine? And try to tense your mouth.

Will you share your fish...(pause) that you caught in the ocean... (pause)on our mission to clean up the trash?
(pause)
Very good.

Remember to create a strong image or situation in your mind in order to remember and change habits! Remember that you need to create an image of the sound in your memory in order to change your habitual articulation!

Remember, if you are having trouble with this after thinking in a new way think like you are in a big movie theatre. It is your movie that is being played and a bunch of people are talking and you are going to tell them to be quiet: “Sh-sh-sh...”
Make them quiet, be very strong about it. I will see you next time!

Still, if you can’t get this sound, then imagine that you are in the theater. There's a play going on, your play, and people are talking and you're going to say to them: “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhof of of them of To shut them up, say it loudly. See you next time!

My comment: It is actually very important to practice every day so that the articulation of the sound does not fade from memory. To do this, you can repeat a poem or tongue twister every day. Here are some examples:

List of words for daily practice of pronunciation of the sound sh [∫]:

At the beginning of the words: shore (coast), shift (shift), shelf (shelf), show (show)

In the middle of words: machine (apparatus), fashion (fashion), pressure (pressure), passion (passion)

At the end of the words: wish (desire), dish (dish), trash (garbage), foolish (stupid), rubbish (large garbage)

Tongue twister for the sound sh: Wishes don't make dishes. (translation) If only mushrooms grew in your mouth.

Poem for training the sound sh [∫]

A short direction to avoid dejection,
By variations in occupations,
And prolongation of relaxation,
And combinations od recreations,
And disputation on the state of nation
In adaptation to your station,
By invitations, to friends and relations,
By evitation of amputation,
By permutation in conversation,
And deep reflection you will avoid dejection.

(The poem is taken from the textbook for universities “Workshop on English language: English pronunciation" Author Lebedinskaya B.Ya.)

A disorder of hissing sounds is called sigmatism or parasigmatism. Depending on the features of pronunciation, the following are distinguished:

1. Interdental pronunciation when the tongue is inserted between the teeth, and the sound takes on a lisping tone.
2. Nasal sigmatism, in which a peculiar acoustic effect is heard (nasal tint). During pronunciation, air rushes into the nasal cavity and a sound is heard that is similar to a deep “X”.
3. Lateral sigmatism. It can be either unilateral or bilateral. The sound takes on a squelching tone.
4. Dental parasigmatism. The tongue rests on the edges of the upper front teeth. As a result, the voiced “Sh” is replaced by “T” (hat-slipper, fur coat-tube).
5. Labiodental parasigmatism. The voiced “Sh” is replaced by “F” (shar-far, shina-fina, shower-duf). Often occurs with malocclusion.
6. Whistling parasigmatism. During it, the hissing sound is replaced by a whistling sound, that is, instead of “Ш”, “S” is pronounced. (scarf-sarf, stitch-owl, machine-masina).

Sigmatism is a defect in the pronunciation of the sound itself, and parasigmatism replacing it with another sound.

Sometimes children completely exclude sound from coherent speech (hat-apka, little mouse-mouse). Sometimes there is a problem with differentiating sounds.

The child cannot correctly identify the desired sound in speech, confuses it with another sound, and does not recognize it by ear.

How to check the pronunciation of the sound Ш in a child

Despite the fact that the technique speech therapy examination quite capacious and often requires the help of a specialist, You can check your child’s speech yourself at home. What tasks should parents set for themselves?

Pronunciation testing includes: isolated utterance, as well as in syllables, words, phrases and sentences.

To check the pronunciation of an isolated sound, you need to ask the child to repeat different sounds behind you.

Need to know, that a violation of hissing sounds may include not only the “Sh” defect. Other hissing sounds may suffer: “Zh”, “Shch”, “Ch”, “Zh”.

To check the pronunciation of sounds in syllables, you need to ask your child to repeat the syllables after you: SHA, SHO, SHU, SHI, ASHA, OSHO, USHU, ASH, USH, OSH, etc. In syllables, Ш should be in different positions. This approach will make the examination more comprehensive.

Then we proceed to the next stage. Need to check the pronunciation of sounds in words. There are many wonderful manuals, cards, training manuals, games and albums on sale that young children really like. Speech therapists use them often.

You can purchase (or download online) wonderful album by O.B. Inshakova or buy a special set of cards. This set will contain cards with the image various items or animals.

If you can draw or are good with a computer, you can make cards yourself. This way you won't make your child bored. Choose words so that the sound occupies a different position in them.

An example set of words:

• at the beginning of the word: shawl, chess, chocolate, hat, cap;
• at the beginning of a word in a combination of consonants (when after the sound “Ш” another consonant is pronounced, not a vowel): helmet, lace, bumblebee, curtain, school, hat;
• in the middle of the word: porridge, horse, bag, mice, wallet, collar;
• at the end of the word: shower, mouse, ladle, baby, lily of the valley, reed, pencil, mascara.

You can offer it to your child play the game “Name it kindly”(Cat - cat, hat - hat, etc.). Example words: pants, horse, Pasha, Natasha, baby, sun, bread, winter, stone, mistress.

The next stage is sentences and phrases. Sentences must be selected in such a way that they include several words with the sound “Ш”.

You can invite your child to repeat light phrases, sentences or simple sayings: Shura sewed a fur coat or The mouse has ears on the top of its head.

Collocations: balloon, silk shorts, playful mouse, big hut and others.

Reasons for incorrect pronunciation

Physiological features of the structure of the speech organs: malocclusion, high palate, short bridle language, too large tongue etc.

Long term use. This leads to an incorrect bite, which causes incorrect pronunciation of many sounds. Hissing and whistling sounds are especially common because of this.

Some parents like to “babble” with their baby. As a result, the child hears incorrect speech and begins to imitate his elders.

Speech impairment in parents. If a mother or grandmother speaks incorrectly, the baby may begin to copy their speech.

Too much high requirement adults. At the same time, parents do not show the child the correct articulation, but insistently demand that he repeat after them (say “fish”).

Developmental delay. When memory, thinking, and attention are not fully formed, speech development also suffers.

Hearing impairment or recognizing sounds by ear.

It is worth noting that speech impairment can be primary or secondary.

Primary violation characterized by the fact that speech suffers primarily. Speech defect becomes the main disorder (with dyslalia).

If we're talking about secondary violation, then incorrect speech becomes not an independent defect, but a consequence. Underdevelopment of mental functions leads to improper speech formation (ONR, ZPR, etc.).

Speech therapy exercises for correct pronunciation of the sound Ш

Warm-up exercises

This stage can be called preparatory. At this stage you should special exercises or articulation gymnastics.

It will help the baby stretch and strengthen the mobility of the speech organs. This includes exercises for the lips, tongue, and breathing.

Breathing exercises

Football game. An adult invites a child to play football in an unusual way. Using available materials, you need to make a gate on the table in the center (from cubes or cups).

One gate is for the child, and the other is for yourself. Then invite the child to make cotton balls together. Cotton balls should be placed on the edge of the table opposite the goal.

The child is asked to blow on a piece of cotton wool so that it flies into the gate. In order to exhale correctly, you need to smile broadly and put your tongue on your lower lip and blow.

Game "Focus". An adult places a piece of cotton wool on the tip of the baby's nose. The child should smile, open his mouth slightly and place the wide edge of his tongue on his upper lip. The lateral edges of the tongue should be pressed, and a “groove” should form in the center.

The baby should blow on the cotton wool so that it rises up. The air passes through the center of the tongue.

Lip exercises

"Elephant Proboscis". The child must alternately make a wide and narrow “tube” with his lips. To do this, the lips must be in the position of pronouncing the sound “O” and then “U”. You can only move your lips, and sounds are not pronounced out loud.

Alternating exercises “Tube” and “Smile”. You need to make sure that the child smiles widely, and the “tube” is narrow (as with the sound U).

"Astonishment"(lips should be in the “O” sound position).

Exercises to warm up your tongue

"Cherry jam". Use the wide edges of your tongue to lick your lower lip (to one side and then to the other).

"Horse". Ask your child to “click” his tongue like a horse is riding.

"Cup". The mouth is slightly open. Lower your wide tongue onto your lower lip, and then lift its tip and side edges up. A depression is formed in the middle part of the tongue.

"Swing". Raise and lower broad tongue behind the teeth, touching it with the tip of the upper gum, then the lower one.

Development of phonemic awareness

Very often, children not only experience difficulties in pronouncing certain sounds, but also cannot identify (recognize) them in speech.

Game "Catch a Butterfly". This exercise can be used during the verification phase phonemic awareness and for its development too.

An adult offers to catch a butterfly with his palms, which is called “Sh”. The adult makes sounds, and the baby claps his hands when he hears the desired sound.

If the child has other sounds impaired, it is not recommended to give them in this exercise. If the baby has difficulty distinguishing between hissing sounds (for example, he confuses “Sh” and “Zh”), you can offer to play in such a way that he claps for the sound “Sh” and raises his hands up for “F”.

Exercise to determine the position of a sound in a word

It is suitable for older children preschool age. You need to pronounce the words and ask them to determine where the sound “Ш” is located (at the beginning, middle or end of the word).

Words can be: hat, cat, gun, baby, tough, screw, shorts, sword.

Exercises for making the sound Ш

To achieve the pronunciation of an isolated sound, you can use a spatula or a simple spoon to put your tongue in the correct position.

If the child pronounces “S” well, ask him to pronounce this sound for a long time (s-s-s-s-s) or the syllable “SA”, and at this time lift the tip of the tongue using a spoon by the upper teeth, onto the alveoli (“C " will turn into "Ш").

At this moment, try to switch all the child’s attention to how he pronounces the sound. He must understand and remember the correct position of the organs of articulation.

Many speech therapists try to place the sound “SH” from “R”. When the child pronounces a long “R”, you need to stop the vibration of the tip of the tongue with a spoon or spatula. The sound “R” is best pronounced in a whisper.

The production of sounds is carried out in stages. As a rule, sounds are first practiced in syllables, and then in words, phrases and sentences. This process is called audio automation.

For that, to practice sounds in syllables, the child is asked to repeat: SHA - SHA - SHA, SHO - SHO - SHO, SHE - SHE - SHE, SHU - SHU - SHU; ASHA – OSHO – USHU, etc.

After the sound in the syllables is well developed, you can begin to automate the words. First, words are selected where Ш is at the beginning of the word:

• SHA: washer, scarf, shaft, step;
• SHO: chocolate, rustle, seam;
• SHU: nimble, Shurik, Shura, noise;
• SHE: rustle, whisper, six, wool;
• SHI: cipher, tire, rosehip, hello, thorns.

After this, words are selected where the sound occupies a position in the middle and end of the words.

At the next stage pronunciation in sentences is practiced. You can teach your child pure sayings or short quatrains, ask to repeat phrases or make up a story from a set of words: How scary it is for a mouse to live in a hole or The cuckoo sewed the cuckoo's hood. It's funny like a cuckoo.

To compose a story, you need to give the child a number of reference words: matryoshka, ball, fur, wardrobe, hat, Natasha, Pasha. Give a title to your story (how the bear visited kindergarten, how Mishka and Natasha celebrated their birthday).

The child must compose a story based on the proposed words.

There are many interesting ones on sale speech therapy benefits . They contain different interesting games, sets of syllables, words, sentences, poems that can be used for home activities with your child.

Try to fantasize more and present tasks in an interesting way.

In what cases should you contact a speech therapist?

Normal By the age of 4-5 years, a child should develop correct speech.

If you notice that your child speaks incorrectly, you need to try to correct it yourself. If there is no positive result, you should consult a specialist.

Many parents turn to a speech therapist asking for recommendations. A speech therapist can conduct a comprehensive speech examination, identify the type of violations and give recommendations to parents on how to correct these violations.

A speech therapist can show you how to work with your baby correctly, pick up good exercise for homework.

When speech disorder acts as secondary violation, the help of a specialist is required.

If you begin to notice that your child is lagging behind his peers in development, no phrasal speech after three years, the baby’s behavior differs from others, Be sure to contact a specialist for an examination.

In order for a child to develop correctly and in a timely manner, adults must pay him a lot of attention and work with him.

If you notice that your baby's sound pronunciation is impaired, you need to try to correct it.

Incorrect speech will interfere with communication with peers, successful learning and may lead to associated defects.

Growing up, our children increasingly replenish their vocabulary. Their need to talk is growing every day. Unfortunately, most kids have problems with pronunciation individual sounds. Is it possible to teach a baby to pronounce sounds correctly at home or will the help of a speech therapist be needed to eliminate speech defects?

What causes incorrect pronunciation?

The most common mistake adults make when communicating with their child is imitating his speech. We lisp with the little man, often distorting the words. It turns out that our speech drops to the level of a baby. Instead of speaking with young children as best we can, pronouncing all sounds and letters clearly, we deliberately make our speech incomprehensible.

Since the child does not hear the correct speech from you, he will not be able to remember it and repeat it. Therefore, in order for your baby to learn to speak correctly, your speech must be clear and intelligible.

The reason for the incorrect reproduction of individual sounds may be a structural feature of the speech apparatus

• The ligament under the tongue is shorter than it should be, making it difficult to move.
• Normal speech is hampered by the size of the tongue (too small or, on the contrary, too large).
• Very thin or, conversely, plump lips, which makes their articulation difficult.
• Deviations in the structure of the teeth or jaw.
• A defect in the hearing aid that prevents you from hearing certain sounds and, therefore, from pronouncing them correctly.

Parents can easily correct some speech defects on their own. The baby experiences the main difficulties when pronouncing hissing sounds - Zh, Ch, Sh, Shch, the letters P, as well as Z, G, K, L, S and C.

How to help your child pronounce hissing sounds?

Teaching a child to pronounce the letters Zh, Ch, Sh, and Sh is a little easier than, for example, the letter R. Most often, children have a problem with the pronunciation of hissing Zh and Sh. At the same time, the sound Sh is not as annoying to the ear as the incorrectly pronounced Zh .

Usually the problem with hissing occurs because the baby is unable to relax the tongue and stretch it so that the edges touch the upper lateral teeth.

Therefore, the baby needs to be taught a few simple exercises.

1. Let's relax the tongue . Place your tongue on your lower teeth, like a pancake, and tap it with your upper teeth, saying “Ta-ta-ta.” After this, the tongue should lie relaxed. Then you have to spank him upper lip and say “Pa-pa-pa.”
2. Lifting the tip of the tongue upward . To complete the task, you need chewing candy or gum (it will be a good motivation for your child). You need him to open his mouth 2-3 cm, spread his tongue over his lower lip, sticking out its tip. Place a piece of candy on it and ask your child to stick it to the roof of his mouth behind his upper teeth. Make sure your baby only uses his tongue and not his jaw.
3. Blow air through the middle of the tongue . Place a small piece of cotton wool on the table. Let the baby smile and position the tongue as in the previous task. The baby’s task is to blow the cotton wool to the other end of the table without puffing out his cheeks. At the same time, he must pronounce something like the letter F.
4. Blowing cotton from your nose . The child opens his mouth slightly, places his tongue so that there is a groove in the middle of it, and the edges almost meet. We place a piece of cotton wool on the nose. The baby should take a deep breath of air through his nose and exhale sharply through his mouth. The cotton wool should fly up.
5. We pronounce the sounds Zh and Sh . Ask the baby to pronounce the syllable SA, the tongue should be behind the teeth at this time. Then you need to move the tongue deeper into your mouth. As we move towards the alveoli, the sound from S turns into Sh. To get the sound Zh, we repeat the exercises, first pronouncing the syllable ZA.
6. More words with Zh and Sh . Remember or come up with rhymes or tongue twisters where the letters Zh and Sh are often found in words. Repeat them with your child several times.
7. We pronounce the letter H . If your baby has increased tongue tone, it will be more difficult for him to cope with the exercise at first. The sound CH consists of TH and Sh. First, the tongue should hit the alveoli, pronouncing TH, and then relax, passing the sound Sh through the slit. These two sounds, first slowly and then faster, should merge into one Ch. After several trainings, the baby will succeed !

Practice your pronunciation with different small poems. For example:

• There were jackdaws visiting the wolf cubs,
• There were wolf cubs visiting the jackdaw cubs,
• Now the wolf cubs are making noise like jackdaws,
• And like wolf cubs, the jackdaw cubs are silent.

Learning to pronounce the letter R

The baby begins to pronounce the letter R well only at the age of 5-6 years. If your baby has not yet reached this age, do not panic ahead of time.

There are usually some problems associated with the letter P

• The little man does not make a growling sound at all , it simply falls out of his words. This happens when the letter P is located between vowels. For example, a garage sounds like “ha - already.”
• The baby replaces the sound R with L, Y or Y . It turns out that instead of a rose - “vine”, red - “yzhy”, magpie - “jay”.
• The baby pronounces the sound R, but not the way it should sound in Russian . It either vibrates, like the British, or grates, which is typical for the French.

You can correct deficiencies in pronouncing the letter P by doing some exercises. It’s better to perform them while sitting and keeping your back straight. In this case, the child must see himself in the mirror.

This way he can see how well he completes the task.

• Sail . The child needs to open his mouth wide and lift the tip of his tongue behind his upper teeth. Bend the lower part of the tongue forward slightly and press the edges upward against the molars. You need to repeat this 3 times in a row for 10 seconds.
• horse . You need to press your tongue tightly against the roof of your mouth and then quickly release it. This will produce a sound reminiscent of the clopping of hooves. Repeat the task at least 10-15 times.
• Turkey . Draw an angry turkey with the baby. The child should throw the tongue out of the mouth, pushing it between the teeth. In this case, you need to pronounce sounds similar to “bl-bl”. The task is performed at a slow pace, gradually speeding it up.
• Let's bite our tongue . Stick the end of your tongue out and open your mouth in a smile. Then slowly bite your tongue with your teeth.
• Brushing our teeth . The baby needs to smile widely and move the tip of his tongue along the inner wall of the upper teeth, without moving the lower jaw.
• Who has it longer? Invite your baby to compare who has the longest tongue. Will he be able to reach his chin or the tip of his nose?
• Woodpecker . You need to open your mouth wide and tap your tongue hard on the inside of the gums near the upper teeth. At this time you need to say “d-d-d.”

To prevent your child from getting tired from numerous exercises, take breaks and invite him to roar like a lion. To consolidate the emerging successes, you can additionally learn tongue twisters and words that contain the letter R with your child.

Pronouncing the letters Z, S and C correctly

When a child does not pronounce the letter S, at the same time he cannot pronounce the other whistling letters and syllables - Z, Ts, Зь, Сь. The reason for this is an underdeveloped articulatory apparatus.

Special exercises will also help correct the situation.

1. Get the ball into the goal . The purpose of this task is to learn how to release a long, directed stream of air. Make gates on the table using blocks or other toys. Roll a loose cotton ball. The kid must, with his lips folded into a tube, blow on the ball and drive it into the gate. While performing the exercise, you cannot puff out your cheeks, and the air blown out should flow in one long stream, without interruption.
2. Song of the tongue . With your mouth slightly open, you need to place your tongue on your lower lip. Then you need to spank with your sponges - “five-five-five” (the tongue sings). The air comes out in a smooth stream without interruption. Then, opening your mouth wide, hold the soft tongue on your lower lip so that it does not curl up. It is necessary that the edges of the tongue touch the corners of the mouth.
3. Pancake . It is important to teach your baby to relax his tongue. To do this, he must smile and place the leading edge of his tongue on his lower lip. The smile should not be tense, and the tongue should only hang slightly from the lip.
4. Brushing our teeth . The exercise is similar to the task for the letter P, only we will brush the lower teeth rather than the upper ones.

The letter Z is paired with the letter C, so its production is done in the same way as the sound C.

The sound T consists of two sounds - T and S, which quickly move from one to another. It is important to teach your baby to separate one sound from another. Ask your baby to say first the long sound “shhhhh”, and then the short “shhhh, tshh, tshh” sound. As a result, the baby will make the sound C.

What about K and G?

The sounds K, G and X belong to the back of the tongue, which implies a high rise of the tongue when pronouncing them. When a child does not pronounce these letters, most often his tongue is simply lazy (with the exception of congenital pathologies that only doctors can correct). To make your tongue work, you need to do exercises.

Slide downhill . Place a cotton ball on your baby's palm. The baby should open his mouth slightly, hold the root of his tongue in a raised position, and lower its tip. Then you need to quickly exhale so as to blow the cotton wool from your palm. The sound will be K.

Spoon . Ask your baby to say “ta-ta-ta” slowly. Take a teaspoon and gently move your tongue away by pressing on the front of the back of it. Instead of “ta”, the baby will first get “cha”, and then “kya”. Continuing to press on the tongue, catch the moment when the baby produces a clean “ka.” He needs to remember what position his tongue was in at that moment. Don't worry if it doesn't work out right away.

Regardless of the exercises you do with your child to pronounce which letter, after class, repeat with him as many words, rhymes or songs with this letter as possible.

Children have various problems with many letters in the process of speech formation. One of the most common difficulties is setting the sh sound. Typically, children find it difficult to pronounce hissing sounds for the reason that they cannot relax the tongue and position it in the required shape, which is required by the correct articulation of the sound sh.

The main reason that a child cannot speak hissing sounds correctly is the way the parents communicate with the baby. Many adults deliberately copy the speech of a child, speaking to him in a childish way. Thus, the child hears incorrect pronunciation and gets used to precisely this manner of producing the sound sh. That is why experts strongly recommend that parents speak to their children correctly.

In addition to the parental desire to imitate baby babble, some structural features play an important role in producing the sound sh. articulatory apparatus, which include the following points:

• movement of the tongue is limited due to the shortened hyoid ligament;
• articulation is affected by the size of the lips (too thin or full) and the size of the tongue (too big or small);
• dental anomalies;
• disruption of the auditory canal.

In most cases, a violation of the production of the sound w can be quite easily corrected at home with regular and careful work with the child. IN in some cases For kids who have problems pronouncing hissing words, a speech therapist will help.

Articulation

Collateral good pronunciation is the correct articulation of the sounds sh and zh. To teach a child to pronounce the letters sh and z correctly, it is necessary to study one method of articulation, since the speech apparatus works almost identically when pronouncing both letters.
So, in order to correctly pronounce the letter w, it is necessary to work with the articulatory apparatus as follows:

• the baby's lips should be slightly pushed forward in the shape of a tube;
• the tip of the tongue is raised to the palate so that a small gap remains between them;
• the lateral edges of the child’s tongue are pressed against the upper outer teeth, giving the tongue the shape of a cup;
• a stream of air easily passes through unused vocal cords, creating the necessary sound.

In order to understand how to teach a child to say the letter z, it is necessary to resort to the articulation described above, while connecting the vibrations of the vocal cords.
Regular exercises for making sounds are very important. These exercises can be done with a speech therapist or at home.

Exercises

Experts have developed special speech therapy exercises for the sound zh and sh to help children learn to pronounce it correctly. This technique includes many different exercises. Below are the most effective and popular ones used among speech therapists.

Spatula

This exercise for making the sound sh is aimed at relaxing the tongue. You need to open your mouth and smile. In a relaxed smile, extend your tongue forward and place the tip in a relaxed position on your lower lip. The side walls of the front of the tongue gently touch the corners of the mouth.

It is important to maintain this position without tension for several seconds. This exercise is basic for such a problem as producing hissing sounds, including the letters zh and sh.

Pie

The “Pie” task must be used to strengthen the muscles of the tongue, as well as to develop mobility of the lateral walls of the tongue. As in the previous exercise, the mouth is open in a smile, the tongue lies on the lower lip. Without straining your lips, it is necessary to lift the side walls of the tongue so that a depression is formed along the central axis of the tongue.

You need to hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds.

Swing

“Swing” is used to make a child’s tongue more mobile. The initial position of the articulatory apparatus is as follows: an open and relaxed smile on the lips, the tongue lies wide and flat (do not allow it to become narrow).

Tongue movements are performed alternately:

• first, to produce the sound w, a wide and flat tongue is stretched towards the ceiling, after which it is directed towards the floor;
• then the tongue moves first to the upper lip, then to the lower;
• you need to put your tongue between your upper lip and upper teeth, and also do the same with your lower lip and teeth;
• then the tongue touches the upper and lower incisors;
• at the end you need to touch the wide tip of your tongue to the alveoli behind the lower row of teeth, and then behind the upper one.

The tongue moves through the teeth

This task is useful for making the sound w because it well develops the baby’s ability to control his tongue. To complete this task you need to open your mouth and relax your smiling lips. Using the wide tip of your tongue, touch the lower dentition from the side of the tongue, and then from the side of the lip.

Painter

This task for working on the letters zh and sh helps, first of all, to strengthen control over the production of the tongue. It also allows the baby to feel how to direct the tongue in top part mouth

It is necessary to open your mouth slightly in a half-smile, relax your lips and fix lower jaw in one position. Next, imagine that the tip of the tongue is a paint brush, and the sky is the ceiling that needs to be painted. In order to do this, you need to stroke the palate with your tongue from the larynx to the teeth and in the opposite direction, not allowing the tongue to go beyond the mouth.

The above exercises for producing the sounds sh and z should be performed regularly. At the same time, parental control over exactly how the baby performs the exercise is very important - it is important to control the correct fixation of the jaw, the position of the lips and the movements of the tongue.

In order to speak the sound sh without problems, you need not only articulation, but also automation.

Automation

For the correct pronunciation of complex sounds, both staging and automation of sound are equally important. If the sound sh has already been set using speech therapy exercises, you can move on to fixing the sound, that is, to automation.

Automation of the sound w is carried out by practicing the sound itself, syllables with this sound, and then words, sentences and texts. The production of hissing sounds receives particular benefit from working with pure sayings, rhymes, proverbs, etc.

• The letter w in syllables and words.

Naughty, Chess, Scarf; RUSH, CHOCOLATE, SHORTS, SILK, WHISPER, WALK; JOKE, NOISE, FUR COAT; Latitude, Bump, Sewing; SIX, SHELEST, SIX, etc.

• The letter z in syllables and words.

HEAT, PITY, TOAD; ZHOR, ZHongler, JOKEY; ACORN, YELLOW, Perch; Crane, Beetle, Horror; ANIMAL, LIFE, ANIMAL; IRON, WIFE, JAUNDICE, etc.

• Automation of the sound sh with reading phrases.

MASHA feeds the baby.

In summer it is good to walk down the street.

PASHA and DASHA gave porridge to the baby.

GLASHA wrote a poem about OUR BABY.

Our songs about a bowl of porridge are good.

Speak in a whisper: the haircuts are still sleeping near the swift.

I'm lying on the couch by the window.

Misha, give me a donut and tell me a fairy tale.

OUR NATASHA is more beautiful than all the girls.

• Nursery rhymes will also help you pronounce the sh sound correctly.

A miner walked out of the mine
With a wicker basket,
And in the basket there is a ball of wool.
Our Dasha's miner found a puppy.
Dasha dances and jumps on the spot:
“How good! I have a friend!
I'll bake him a pie
I’ll sit down to sew him a fur coat and a hat -
My black puppy will be happy."

Correct operation of the articulatory apparatus and careful consolidation of the studied sounds are the only correct methods of sound production.

So that the child understands how to pronounce correctly complex sounds, it is necessary not only to perform special exercises, but also to monitor the correctness of your own speech.

If you regularly work with your child on making sounds, you will soon be able to forget about the problem of how to teach your child to say the letter w.