38 Original Articles. [Jan., 



ON THE OKAL INSTKUCTION OF THE SO-CALLED 

 DEAE AND DUMB. 



Being some Account of the System of Tuition by " Lip-reading " 

 and Articulation. 



By Gerard Van Asch, Manchester * (late Teacher at the School for 

 the Deaf and Dumb, Kotterdam). 



The articulation of the deaf and dumb is of such rare occurrence in 

 this country that, to a casual observer, it might appear reasonable to 

 think that all attempts to produce it must have been idle efforts with- 

 out any result. 



By many, dumbness is thought to arise from malformation of the 

 vocal organs, or from some similar cause directly connected with these. 

 But to those who have given this matter any consideration at all, it 

 will need no second reflection to pronounce this a false notion. They 

 will account for the affliction by the derangement or absence of certain 

 parts of the internal ear, such as the auditory nerves, the drum, the chain 

 of bones in the ear, &c, which disturbance prevents sounds from being 

 perceived, and therefore from being imitated. The organs of speech 

 in persons so afflicted present nothing peculiar ; indeed, the deaf of 

 tender age invariably exhibit a tendency to use them like hearing 

 persons, aDd they imitate with pleasure directly they are shown the 

 example and method of imitation. As their condition, however, admits 

 only of their receiving a crude notion of vibration, the task of instruction 

 is very difficult ; for what comparison is there between the subtle nerves 

 of hearing and those of touch, which form their only substitute ? But 

 difficulty does not imply impossibility ; and a close study of the forma- 

 tion and variations of sounds, as they emanate from man's vocal organs, 

 supplies a key of such value to the teacher of mutes, that it may serve 

 him as an instrument to guide their endeavours to articulate, and to 

 acquaint them practically with the principles on which the structure 

 of our language is founded. The research will reveal many of those 

 obstacles which it is needful for the deaf to overcome ; it will disclose 

 the elements that must serve as stepping-stones that will lead to the 

 height, and will determine the course best calculated for them to 

 follow. 



Led by such knowledge, it is possible not merely to sift out easy 

 consonants and vowels, and suitable combinations of these, but also 

 words, and even sentences, which should be set apart for practice. In 

 fact, by it may be determined whether one language is formed superior 

 to another for the imitation of the deaf ; and no doubt the English 

 tongue must have presented greater difficulties to Wallis than the 

 Dutch did to Amman, when these two simultaneously undertook the 

 task of teaching articulation to some deaf children in England and 



* This article is intentionally printed, with the most trifling alterations, in the 

 words of the author, who has been in England five years, and knew nothing of the 

 language on his arrival. This course appeared to the Editors to be the fairest 

 towards Author and Headers. 



