Today I’d like to introduce some speech impediments.
I’ve separated them into the following broad categories:


1. Lisp

This is a condition of inarticulate speech. The afflicted person begins to speak like a drunkard. However, they can understand what is said to them.

2. Voice disorder

This is a problem with the qualities of sounds that one is able to produce. There are many possible symptoms, including a hoarse or raspy voice, low levels of volume, and a pitch that is too low or too high.

3. Aphasia

This is a disorder that causes the words themselves not to come to the mind of the person who is trying to speak. For example, it may happen that a person with this disorder forms a clear picture in their own mind of the image of a round, red and sweet fruit, but is unable to connect that image with the word “apple” and is thus unable to communicate with the person in front of them.

4. Apraxia of speech

This disorder is referred to as a problem with the “programming” that enables people to produce sounds. Even though someone with this type of disorder may be able to understand everything and think of the words they want to say, they may not be able to form those words. At first glance this appears as a problem with articulation. This disorder has a lot in common with Aphasia. Apraxia of speech affects only the “speaking” category of language functions.

5. Dysphemia

This is also known as stammering. Words become difficult to pronounce, and the speaker may repeat the same sound many times before finally pronouncing a word; for example, “g- g- g- g- g- good morning”.


As you can see, there are a whole lot of categories that compose what we refer to as “speech impediments”. I’m happy I’ve finally learned, somehow, to distinguish between them. Next time, I’d like to expand on the above five disorders with their causes and effects, concrete examples, and the approaches that speech therapists use to treat them.


– Aya Miyata
– English by Chay Schiller