Very interesting convo here!

With a background as an actress and dialect coach, I have not thought about
tt in relation to regional sound until just now.  Many (if not most)
Americans would pronounce the initial sound in the second syllable of
"Peterson" with a /d/ sound (albeit with the tip of the tongue contacting
the alveolar ridge right behind the top teeth).  Also, I can think of at
least one regional US dialect that regularly uses the bulk (rather than the
tip) of the tongue to create the /l/ sound.  Regional dialects are a result
of many, many factors and to think breastfeeding and tongue-tie rates could
affect them is fascinating indeed (especially since I've never seen this
discussed in speechnerd circles).

Here's an article from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,
"Ankyloglossia: To clip or Not to Clip?  That's the Question":

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2005/051227/f051227a.htm

Here's an excerpt:

"Through the centuries, it has been a common folk belief that if the tongue
tip cannot move well due to ankyloglossia, it must affect speech. In fact,
this is even mentioned in the Bible. In Mark 7:35, it says "… and the bond
that tied his tongue was loosed, and he talked plainly." Despite the common
belief of this effect, there is no empirical evidence in the literature that
ankyloglossia typically causes speech defects. On the contrary, several
authors, even from decades ago, have disputed the belief that there is a
strong causal relationship (Wallace, 1963; Block, 1968; Catlin & De Haan,
1971; Wright, 1995; Agarwal & Raina, 2003). In addition, there are very few
other articles in the literature that even address the effects of tongue-tie
on speech.

Despite these reports and the lack of evidence, many professionals still
believe that ankyloglossia is a common cause of speech problems. In a recent
survey, Messner and Lalakea (2000) found that 60% of ENTs, 50% of SLPs, and
23% of pediatricians believed that ankyloglossia is likely to cause speech
problems. The only study found in the literature that has even tested that
assumption is by the same authors (Messner & Lalakea, 2002). In their study,
9 out of 15 patients showed "improvement" in speech after frenulectomy.
However, many months went by between the pre- and post-operative
assessments. Also, there is no information on the types of misarticulations
noted preoperatively. Finally, the authors admitted that they used a
relatively small and disparate study group. In addition, they noted that
they did not use a standard speech sample, and that multiple SLPs performed
the assessments, which were not blinded. Therefore, the results of this
study should be considered with caution."

I'm not sure if there is any more recent research on the subject, but I'd
like to know as tt does seem like a popular diagnosis these days.

Jessica Claire
LLLL in Los Angeles



On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 3:40 PM, Amy Peterson, IBCLC <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


> But I am aware that my tongue tip remains behind my lower teeth at almost
> all times, I make the L and T sounds with mid-blade, and my S sound is
> pretty air-y.  People often ask if Peterson is spelled with a "d."
>
>

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