This article provides information about the English language in relation to speech difficulties associated with ALS, as well as its interaction with voice recognition and composition technology.
The English language has 44 to 45 distinct phonemes, depending on dialect. There are 24 consonant sounds, 12 pure vowel sounds, and 8 complex vowel sounds.
Individual phonemes in English (or any other language) vary in how difficult they are to articulate. Some require careful coordination of a large number of parts of the vocal apparatus, such as the tongue, jaw, and larynx. Others are quite straightforward and are easily articulated by babies within their first few weeks of life.
The most challenging phonemes in English are generally considered to be the following:
A phonetic pangram is a phrase or sentence that contains every single phoneme (distinct sound) in a language. These can be used to perform a basic test of an individual's ability to articulate all sounds in the language.
The phonetic pangrams here are intended for casual testing of speech. Consult a trained speech-language pathologist for more thorough and accurate testing.
Phonetic Pangram #1:
As the colors of the sky deepen, the stars begin to shine brightly through the clear night. Joyful kids jump and play in the buzzing park. Amazed owls hoot softly, and the zesty breeze whispers through the trees, revealing a vision of beauty.
Many letters in the English alphabet sound like words. This can complicate the use of voice dictation software.
| Letter | Word Sound |
|---|---|
| A | A (indefinite article) |
| B | Be (to exist) / Bee (the insect) |
| C | See (to look) / Sea (the ocean) |
| D | Dee (slang or shortened name) |
| G | Gee (expression of surprise) |
| I | I (pronoun) / Eye (the organ for seeing) |
| J | Jay (bird or name) |
| K | Kay (short form of Katherine) |
| O | Oh (expression of surprise or understanding) |
| P | Pea (vegetable) / Pee (slang for urinate) |
| Q | Cue (a signal or prompt) |
| R | Are (verb) / Arr (pirate slang) |
| S | Yes |
| T | Tea (drink) / Tee (used in golf) |
| U | You (second person pronoun) |
| X | Ex (a former partner) |
| Y | Why (question word) |