Abstract
In tongue-tie speech, speech disorders are classified as a functional disorder. The details of these disorders are not made clear yet. Investigations were made on 8767 pupils by using the measuring apparatus for tongue extension degree, which was devised by myself. In these investigations, there were found 75 pupils of tongue-tie 2°(mild group) and 8 pupils of tongue-tie 3°(severe group). Out of these cases, lingual frenum plastic operations were performed on 8 pupils tonguetie 2°and 5 pupils of tongue-tie 3°, who could cooperate with me. Before these operations and three months after the operations, the following tests and observations were made : 1) Speech intelligibility test, Speech articulation test 2) Observations of Palatogram 3) Observations of Sound Spectrogram The results of the effect of tongue-tie on phonetic and philology are summerized as follows. 1. In a speech intelligibility test, pre-operative three-syllable intelligibility was more than 82%. This means that tongue-tie speakers do not have so much trouble in every day conversation, but listeners notice a little peculiarity in their speech. After the operation, the intelligibility of both two-and three-syllable was improved. 2. In a speech articulation test, pre-operative articulation scores of monosyllable were more than 70.1%. This corresponds to the slight speech disorder classified by Dr. Furuya. Post-operative articulation of both monosyllable and meaningless three-syllable was improved. 3. Observations of the palatogram, both before and after the operation, to compare the speech sounds of tongue-tie pupils with the speech sounds of normal speakers, showed no difference except in R-sounds (enunciations of R followed by vowels). Pre-operative R-sounds showed a difference from the normal. Post-operative R-sounds of tongue-tie 2° showed close resemblance to the normal, but tongue-tie 3° showed little improvement from the pre-operative R-sounds. 4. From the observations of the sound spectrogram, pre-operative consonants of R-sounds were obsucure, but after the operation, very clear. Variations of cycle elements were found in unvoiced sounds of T-sounds (enunciations of T followed by vowels) compared with those of pre-operative consonants. 5. From the investigations by speech sounds, remarkable abnormalities were found only in R-sounds. But in R-sounds of tongue-tie, there was abnormality of speech articulation, palatogram and sound spectrogram. So it was comfirmed that tongue-tie had a great effect upon R-sounds. Post-operative R-sounds were improved. As mentioned above, speech sounds of tongue-tie will cause speech disorders. The speech disorders of tongue-tie proved to be improved without speech clinic by lingual frenum plastic operation. From the phonetical and philological point of view, it seems best that lingual frenum plastic operation shoud be performed promptly in cases of tongue-tie.
