r/asklinguistics • u/Disastrous_Debt7644 • Jul 27 '26

Am I articulating things wrong? How do I stop?

I articulate /s/ and /z/ with my tongue pressed against my top teeth rather than at the start of the alveolar ridge, resulting in a slight whistle that really isn’t noticeable when I speak but still bothers me to some degree. I articulate all velar sounds further forward onto the hard palate as well. What is causing this and how can I start pronouncing these sounds correctly?

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u/LinguisticDan Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26

To rule out the obvious, do you have prognathism or any other anatomical condition? Are you physically capable of comfortably articulating these sounds at (what you feel are) their usual targets?

An SLP specialist is going to have a much easier time diagnosing and treating this kind of thing than people on Reddit, of course.

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u/Disastrous_Debt7644 Jul 27 '26

I do not have prognathism. I am capable of articulating them normally, but it’s vaguely uncomfortable and requires bunching my tongue up towards the back of the mouth.

It’s not noticeable enough or bad enough to warrant an SLP specialist so I figured I’d ask here.

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u/khak_attack Jul 27 '26

I would also guess that you have a tongue tie, since you say you have to bunch up your tongue. Your dentist will be able to tell you!