The Müller-Walle method of lip-reading for the deaf (Bruhn lip-reading system)

Part Two Lesson

long vowels: a, a, e, 5, oo, and w, wh, sh and th 13

II — Diphthongs ou, i, <>i 19

i A (iii)

6031 88 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS

LESSON PAGE

III — Class II of consonants; k, hard g, hard c, d, t, h,

IV — Vowel sounds er, ir, iir 28

VI — r before a vowel 43

VII — r after a vowel 50

IX — r after c and g 63

X — 1 after f, s, b (p) at the beginning of a word .... 70

XI — 1 after c and g at the beginning of a word 77

XII — n before a vowel 83

XIII — Short vowels, &, 6, I, ii, e 92

XIV — Long vowels and diphthongs followed by n .... 99

XV — t or ed at the end of a word after consonants of

Class I 106

XVI — t or ed at the end of a word after consonants of

Class II 115

XVII — d (or t), k, and g after n, preceded by a vowel . . 124

XVIII — s at the end of a word after consonants of Class I 131

XIX — s at the end of a word after consonants of Class II . 138

XX — d and t before a vowel 146

XXI — dr and tr before a vowel 153

XXII — sh, ch, j and soft g before a vowel 159

XXIII — sp (or am), spr, st (or sn), str (or scr), sw,

and si before a vowel 167

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LESSON PAGE

XXV — 1 before a vowel 183

XXVI — 1 at the end of a word 189

XXVII — &e, d£e, and tch after a short vowel 195

XXVIII — ch and £e after long vowels 201

XXIX — k (or ck) after short vowels 206

XXX — k (or ke) after long vowels and diphthongs . . . .212

Preface

A I AHIS book consists of a series of thirty lessons, including exercises, sentence practice and story studies in exercise form, and is intended for the use of those who have become deaf after having acquired a full knowledge of speech, as well as for use in schools for deaf children. This includes high school and college students whose hearing has become impaired before their education has been completed; adults whose hearing is more or less defective; and children in the elementary schools for the deaf who have previously received a certain amount of instruction in speech-reading.

The following are a few suggestions for the teacher: —

FIRST

This book is intended for both teacher and pupil, to be used as a text-book in learning the principal movements in each group of sounds, and as a guide book for self-instruction at home.

It is not a book of instruction showing how lip-reading should

be taught, as the difficulty, or rather, the impossibility of such

(vii)

viii PREFACE

a task is very evident, since movement, the very foundation of speech, cannot be described in words or pictures, but must be shown to the student by an able teacher who is well acquainted with the physiology of speech.

It is comparatively easy to describe the position of each individual organ of speech when a single sound is produced; a little more difficult to describe the transition from one position to another; but it is well-nigh impossible through mere description to present the mingling of a series of incessant outward, inward, downward, forward and backward movements, all united for the time into one great whole.

Such processes can never be accurately described, they must be shown, — acted out, so to speak. Therefore, the method of conducting the rapid syllable drills that should accompany each lesson can only be shown by the trained teacher and is here omitted. Incorrect use of such drills does more harm than good.

Let the pupil fix the principal movements of each group in his mind by constant repetition of the mirror exercises given in each lesson.

SECOND

The sentences under B in each lesson are to be used for home practice. They should never be practiced with the mirror. Teachers should urge pupils to interest one or more members of the family or some friends to repeat the sentences to them. The

PREFACE ix

more lips the student has to read the better. Encourage pupils to practice among themselves.

THIRD

Do not have the pupils commit rules to memory. For example, "fa — lower lip against upper teeth and downward movement of jaw." It should be recognized as such, but it is not necessary to test the pupil's knowledge by asking him to define the movements. The rapid comprehension of such movements does not depend so much upon any actual knowledge as upon skill and ability. This ability is attained, not through long conscientious memorizing of difficult rules, but by the application of the fundamentals of those rules by continuous practice under proper guidance.

This proper guidance in the art of lip-reading is much the same as in athletics. The athlete and the lip-reader acquire most of their knowledge by observing and imitating the movements of their teachers and those about them.

BOSTON, MASS., June, 1915.

ONE

CHAPTER I ORIGIN or THE INSTRUCTION OF LIP-READING

THE art of lip-reading is not new. Many hundred years ago the attempt was made to teach speech to the congenitally deaf, and also the art of reading speech from the lips. The credit of the first successful teaching belongs to the Spanish Benedictine Monk, Pietro Ponce, who died in 1588.

Almost contemporaneously there appeared in other countries similar attempts which were more or less successful. In England, it was the famous and learned Bishop Wallis, and in Holland, the Swiss physician, Ammann, who first introduced the oral method into these countries. But, unfortunately, the results were meagre owing to the lack of good institutions.

The method became somewhat better known when a German named Samuel Heinecke, a teacher in Eppendorf, near Hamburg, opened a school in Leipzig in 1787. But he so closely guarded the method as a secret, that his work was retarded in its progress after his death. In France, on the other hand, the Abb6 de 1'Epee introduced an oral method and sign language which is still in use there and which spread into Germany as well as into other countries. However, the work begun by Heinecke also progressed. The advantages of the German method were recognized more and more, and finally this was the method used not only in Germany but also in other countries.

And now, year after year, thousands of pupils leave such schools equipped with the blessings of the oral method, and with the art of reading speech from the lips, which formerly seemed out of the question for children who were born deaf.

METHODS EMPLOYED TO TEACH DEAP CHILDREN AS APPLIED TO THE HARD-OF-HEARING

The good results obtained from the teaching of lip-reading to congenitally deaf children led to the question whether this method could not also be employed in teaching those who have become deaf in adult life. For, unquestionably, this ability to read from the lips would be of inestimable value to them. The expectations of attaining still better results in this direction were so natural that it seemed as if the possibility could not be denied or even doubted.

Yet there was a wide-spread opinion that only those born deaf could really learn to read from the lips, a feat which they accomplished through some supposed special gift like the so-called tactile sense of the blind.

Strange to say, this opinion was held not only by the sufferers themselves, but even now and then by the teachers of the deaf, that children who were born deaf or who lost their hearing at a very early age are often the quickest learners in the art. Such children surely cannot be said to have any mysterious gift, for the supposition that Nature provides such a special power at any moment when it may be needed, will not occur to any sensible person. Therefore, it only remains to grant that here is no question of a gift, but of a power attained.

When the pupils see small and insignificant movements in the mouths of the speaker with an amazing rapidity and accuracy, it is only the result of continuous practice. Every teacher of the deaf should know this, since it is he who, with great care and patience, must cultivate the habit. It is only in this way that the child can attain its ability to read the lips; namely, by continuous practice.

The physician, the naturalist, and the astronomer all see much which escapes the notice of an ordinary man, even though he looks carefully. This is not because the sight of the scientist is naturally keener, but because his eyes are differently trained and accustomed to note points necessary to his vocation. This is only an illustration of the value of the trained eye.

Is the eye of the scientist trained from childhood? Generally it is not. The special training usually begins in early manhood and often the efforts of childhood have not been at all in proportion to the wonderful ability of later life.

Notwithstanding these well-known facts, many people continued to discourage adults from attempts to learn lip-reading, and reiterated the opinion that a superior talent for the art must exist in the congenitally deaf. They did not deny that a welleducated adult far surpassed a child in will-power, in power of apprehension and perseverance. But they founded their opinion on experience. The experience of years, they said, had proved that adults do not succeed in mastering the art.

Another reason, they said, why the hard-of-hearing cannot learn so rapidly is that they are distracted by the sounds which they still hear. Or, they maintained that the remaining hearing power is impaired by acquiring the ability of speech-reading. This, however, is not the case. On the contrary, the great strain of trying to hear is removed. It will be found a great help. Both eyes and ears are used and then, later, in case of increasing deafness or total loss of hearing, the eye in the meantime will have become so trained as to be able to do the work alone.

If we inquire of intelligent people who have had private instructions from teachers of the born deaf what they have learned, the reply will be that with perseverance and diligence they can read the lips of the teacher very readily, also of those who speak slowly and articulate carefully. But the fact is, that at home and in general conversation, the pupil will not find words articulated as his teacher articulates them and therefore will not be able to follow rapid conversation.

And this leads to the point that we wish to emphasize, namely: that the method applied to children is not adapted to the needs of those who lose their hearing in later life. Such persons do not need to learn to speak. It is not necessary for them to know the positions of the various organs of speech in the mouth. For them, the externally visible characteristics are the essential points. For, in natural conversation, when movements are not exaggerated, these external characteristics alone are visible. Moreover, the hard-of-hearing adult is able to grasp the meaning of a sentence as a whole without a slow pronunciation of each word. He has a much higher aim in view in his wish to follow all conversation in which he was accustomed to take part before becoming deaf.

Mr. Julius Miiller-Walle, a former teacher of the deaf in Hamburg, after years of careful study, developed a system differing in the above-mentioned particulars from the customary methods and especially suited to those who have become deaf in adult life. His success in teaching speaks for the correctness of his theory. A word about the method itself may prove of interest.

Chapter II

1. LIP MOVEMENTS THE BASIS OF THIS METHOD

It has been shown in the preceding chapter that the basis of the method employed in teaching speech to deaf children is the varying positions of the organs of speech. The teacher must show these plainly, it being necessary for the pupil to have a clear picture of each position. The knowledge of these various positions is the basis of his skill in lip-reading. Each word made up of three or more sounds means to him a succession of the same number of positions. Each must be distinctly visible and they must not follow each other too rapidly. Now in general conversation, the main thing is movement, a continuous passing from one sound to another. Therefore, in order to read general conversation from the lips, we must learn to combine visible characteristics, that is, we must learn to follow movements, rather than positions.

On careful study, lip movements, apparently simple, show many characteristics which help to differentiate them. These may be tabulated as follows:

(a) DIRECTION:

Upward, Downward, Backward, Forward.

(b) TIME:

Quick, Moderate, Slow.

(c) MEASURE:

Large, Small.

(d) DURATION:

Long, Short.

(e) RHYTHM:

Even, Forced, Short, Quick, Glide.

(f) CLASSIFICATION:

Single, In Groups.

Words do not consist of individually spoken sounds, but of closely connected sounds. The passing from one sound to another demands another special movement which we may call inter-movement, just as in painting we speak of shades when one color gradually blends into another without showing where the former ends and the latter begins. The more the two sounds which are to be connected differ in direction, the plainer this inter-movement will naturally appear. This is very perceptible, for example, in the sentence, "You_eat the apple", where the largest forward movement is combined with the largest backward movement. In the sentence, "You may~eat the apple", the inter-movement is not so plain. But whether perceptible or not, these intermovements, not belonging to the real sounds are always given. Aside from the fact that they are too manifold, they cannot be given alone, and, therefore, in order that the pupil may learn to distinguish them from the sounds themselves, he must be shown each sound in ever-changing connections. Furthermore, a sound when pronounced alone has a different movement, often the opposite movement from that when pronounced in connection with other sounds. For example, if I say, "She may^owe me the money," we have a forward movement for "o"; but if I say, "You^,owe me the money," we have a backward movement for "o." In reading the lips it is not a question of reading a single sound when pronounced alone, but a group of sounds. The teaching of the movements of these combinations is the basis of the Muller-Walle Method. The practicing of systematically arranged syllables with a trained teacher may be compared to the practicing of scales and exercises on the piano. Without this drill, the eye will never become sufficiently trained to distinguish and recognize the different movements necessary to follow long sentences.

But the most perfect skill in recognizing all the syllables would not be sufficient to qualify the eye to grasp quickly the whole picture of a fluently spoken sentence. For even in a dearly enunciated sentence, much less in a carelessly uttered one where many syllables are mispronounced or even left out, the eye is not able to recognize each individual syllable. Moreover, the position, accent and relation to other syllables change the intermovements of each sound.

Although these movements follow one another so rapidly, the eye can be trained to distinguish them as rapidly as it distinguishes the different colors and forms of a complicated design. It will soon through practice and habit, attain the ability to grasp several and finally many familiar movements at once, even though they follow one another rapidly and appear as one united group. It then no longer sees single sounds, but words and sentences as a whole, somewhat as the eye of the reader takes in at a glance a sentence of fifty or more letters. It is the whole picture which is impressed upon the brain. Therefore, we find the same explanation for the wonderful ability in reading the lips as in reading type. The eye is trained through practice to grasp the whole meaning.

It would seem at first as though the reading of a sentence from the lips were the more difficult, as there is no visible space between the words. But in lip-reading, we have the accented syllables which help, inasmuch as these are somewhat prolonged and more emphasized. Every word of one syllable is either accented or unaccented. Every longer one is made up of both accented and unaccented syllables, and every sentence has one or more words upon which the stress falls.

This changing from short to long, tarrying upon one certain syllable and hurrying over another, gives what we call the rhythm of speech, just as we speak of the rhythm of a melody. If we watch the bow of a violinist glide over the strings, even without hearing the tones, we recognize the rhythm of the melody by the number, length and speed of the movements of the bow. Similarly, in reading the lips the change in number, length and speed of movements animates and characterizes the sentence and helps in its interpretation.

To become proficient in the art requires patience and perseverance. But the time necessary is short in comparison to that spent on music or a language. The best rule to observe, after the necessary foundation is laid in a course of methodical instruction, is to use every opportunity for conversation. Of course, there will be difficulties to overcome at first. But the aim we are striving for is well worth the effort. Only those who have been cut off by deafness from free communication with others can realize what it means to be able once more to take part in general conversation.

2. USEFUL HINTS FOR THE PUPIL

The Position

It is a matter of importance, especially during the first lessons, for the teacher to be in the correct position in regard to the pupil. The forward and backward movements of the lips, and the muscles of the cheeks and their speed can be more readily distinguished when seen in profile. In sitting directly opposite the speaker, we see a surface; in the profile, we see the outlines of the face, and lines are sharper. Therefore, it is well for the teacher to begin by showing the movements in the profile, first one side, then the other. Later he should change his position by standing up and moving about in the room as far from the pupil as the latter's eyesight will permit.

The Light

It hardly seems necessary to say that the speaker should be in a position to allow the light to fall on his face. It is best for the pupil to sit with his back toward the light. The earlier a lip-reader learns to choose a favorable position when trying to follow general conversation, the easier the task will be.

The Practice in General Conversation

It has already been mentioned that a pupil must make use of every opportunity of applying in general conversation what he has been taught. He will find that one of the greatest difficulties is to follow a conversation when the subject is not known. Therefore, a pupil who desires to profit by practicing should, by asking a question or by introducing a subject himself, open the conversation. By directing the thought to the subject, the eye will be greatly aided in following the movements.

Expression

Children are taught to look at the person whom they address. Yet many deaf persons, especially those who can understand only when words are spoken directly into the ear, form a habit of turning their heads to one side and lowering their eyes. In so doing, they are unable to watch the speaker's face and cannot notice the changes of expression which constantly pass over the features and bearing of one while participating in even the most matter-of-fact conversation. These changes of expression are in themselves one of the greatest aids in the art of lip-reading, and by failing to attempt to follow these everchanging expressions, one who is deaf loses a very material help toward understanding what is said. Now in learning to read the lips, the deaf pupil must naturally watch the speaker's lips. Yet in order to become a skilful lip-reader, he must learn to watch, not only the lips of the speaker, but also the expression of the speaker's face and bearing, even when the speaker is silent and his part of the conversation becomes only that of listener. For by closely watching the changing expressions of the listener, the deaf person can detect in a measure what impression his words are making, and in consequence is often able to anticipate, to a certain extent, the nature of the reply. This anticipation will prove, as every lip-reader has experienced, a decided help in carrying on a normally rapid conversation.

Whether the listener will answer a question by "yes" or "no"; whether he will agree or disagree with a statement; whether he will believe or doubt an assertion; whether a joke amuses, or bores, or even hurts him; whether he shows sympathy, indifference or aversion; — all these emotions are reflected and can be detected in the sensitive ever-changing expression of his face. They are frequently accompanied by gestures of his hands, head and shoulders, or sometimes all these combined.

This silent speech is so universal, and at the same time its interpretation so simple, that even a little child unconsciously understands it before it has learned to master the meaning of spoken words. The child "feels" whether its mother is happy or sad, whether she approves or disapproves of a certain act, whether she permits or forbids a desired wish, and these "feelings" invariably come from watching its mother's face.

These silent expressions are always present in any and all forms of conversation, whether it be of slight trivial matters, or something of more importance. They may be compared to illustrations in a book which give to the text a vivid ornament, and at the same time increase its clearness and render the meaning more intelligible.

For this reason the lip-reader should strive to form the habit of watching the faces of those who are speaking at all times, not only when one is speaking directly to him, but also when others are speaking among themselves regardless of him, as well as when he is himself speaking.