I860.] Van Asch on Oral Instruction of so-called Deaf and Dumb. 39 



Holland. An intimate acquaintance with the structure of language 

 has indeed caused some persons engaged in this branch of education 

 in Germany and Holland to entertain doubts as to the adaptability of 

 the English and French languages for such purposes. 



It is impossible here to enter into a discussion of the subject, or to 

 attempt to refer fully to the different sounds and methods of teaching 

 them to the deaf, and we therefore prefer to give publicity to effects 

 attained rather than theoretical opinions. After an experience of five 

 years with a class of deaf children, we cannot help agreeing that the 

 utterance of the English language presents several difficulties not 

 met with in Dutch and German ; but in how far we have succeeded 

 in combating with those difficulties will be to some extent seen from 

 a perusal of the following cases : — 



First Case, F. JR.* — This young lady affords an example of the class 

 usually denominated " stone-deaf," and having probably been bom so, 

 it is fair to argue that her case does not differ materially from any of 

 the most discouraging. She is about eleven years of age, and has 

 been taught five years, of which the two first were spent in habituating 

 her to a proper mode of observation, and in creating a love for inquiry ; 

 that is to say, in devising different means to excite her curiosity about 

 things adapted to her age and circumstances, and particularly in 

 effecting a series of exercises which should lay the foundation of utter- 

 ance, and would promote the expansion of the chest. After that time 

 study became more systematical. As we lay particular weight upon 

 the physical attainments of the young deaf, as well as on the improve- 

 ment of their minds, let us consider first the progress of this pupil 

 physically. 



Sounds of all classes used in the English language could be made 

 at the end of the first year. The vowels, which it is rather difficult to 

 extract from the totally deaf, were open and comparatively clear ; we 

 say comparatively, because it must not be supposed that the clearness 

 of sound under such circumstances can at all equal the rounded tone 

 of those blessed with an acute sense of hearing. The combinations of 

 vowels and consonants could also be pronounced, and the physical 

 power, therefore, of connecting spoken names with the idea of objects 

 and actions was beginning to be developed. Speech, such as it was, 

 was not however without defects. 



The manipulation of the tutor, for correcting and facilitating 

 speech is necessary for a considerable period of time ; for when first 

 a young mute begins to utter sounds of his own accord, he is frequently 

 in the habit of interjecting letters or sounds which have no connection 

 whatever with the words he wishes to pronounce ; or his vowels and 

 complex vowels, such as i (pronounced de, as in far and be), are de- 

 teriorated by the practice of forcing the sound through the channel of 

 the nose. The teacher, then, must be able to detect all these discre- 

 pancies, and would greatly neglect his work if he were to abstain from 

 instantly rectifying these deviations from the true mode of articulation. 



Returning to the pupil whose case we are considering, another 

 advantage gained by her during the first year was the quickness of the 

 * The initials are, in all cases, slightly altered from the actual ones. 



