JP2004272188A - Pronunciation training tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pronunciation training tool that enables a trainee to accurately pronounce and speedily master "L" and "R" of English. <P>SOLUTION: The pronunciation training tool 1 to be inserted into the oral cavity has a holding part 5, held in the hand, and an insert part 6, inserted into the oral cavity, in one body, and the insert part 6 has a part extending from the reverse side 12b of the upper teeth 12 to a hard palate 14 while inserted into the oral cavity 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pronunciation training tool inserted into the oral cavity.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When learning English pronunciation, it is usually necessary to repeatedly listen to the speech, cassette tapes, and CD-based pronunciation materials of people whose native language is English, and to imitate the face and mouth of the person described in the text. I practice following the explanation in Japanese while watching the shape.
Also, it is said that it is difficult to pronounce Japanese sounds because they do not correspond to English sounds as they are. Typical examples of such sounds include "L" and "R" sounds. The sound of "L" and "R" is different from the Japanese "ra" line. Usually, "L" is pronounced with the tip of the tongue firmly in contact with the back of the upper teeth, and "R" is pronounced The tongue tip is pronounced tightly so that it does not touch the back of the upper teeth and the hard palate.
As described above, the sound of English varies depending on the position of the tongue, and thus the position of the tongue is important. Therefore, there is also known a method of using a video and a text in which the correct mouth shape and the position of the tongue are combined and learning the English pronunciation while comparing the mouth with the one reflected in a mirror (Patent Document 1). reference).
[0003]
On the other hand, as a vocal corrector for acquiring and maintaining an appropriate opening gap for correct vocalization, there is known a vocal corrector provided with a tongue restraint in a spacing material sandwiched between upper and lower front teeth (Patent Document 2). reference).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-95563 (page 1)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-8-50448 (page 1)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when pronouncing “L” or “R” using a video and a text in which the position of the tongue and the shape of the mouth are described in combination as in Patent Document 1, the tip of the tongue has It is relatively difficult to detect with the tongue whether or not it touched the hard palate, and it was difficult to pronounce "L" or "R" accurately, and it took time to learn.
In addition, the vocal training tool as described in Patent Document 2 is used to correctly correct basic utterances such as “A” sound, “I” sound, “U” sound, “E” sound, and “O” sound in singing songs and the like. And those who learn how to pronounce "L" and "R" in English were required.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a pronunciation training tool that can accurately pronounce English "L" and "R" and can be quickly learned.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, a pronunciation training tool 1 to be inserted into an oral cavity 11,
The holding part 5 held by hand and the insertion part 6 into the oral cavity are integrated,
The insertion portion has a portion extending from the back side 12b of the upper teeth 12 toward the hard palate 14 in a state of being inserted into the oral cavity.
[0008]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the holding portion held by the hand and the insertion portion into the oral cavity are integrated, and the insertion portion extends from the back side of the upper teeth toward the hard palate in a state of being inserted into the oral cavity. It has a part, so when inserting the insertion part into the oral cavity by holding the holding part by hand, when pronouncing the English "R", it is checked whether the tongue has contacted the back of the upper teeth or the hard palate It can be easily and reliably sensed. Therefore, by producing sound so that the tongue does not come into contact with the insertion portion, the tongue does not come into contact with the hard palate, so that an accurate "R" can be produced.
By practicing pronunciation by inserting the pronunciation training tool into the oral cavity in this way, even when the pronunciation training tool is removed, the tongue can be arranged at an appropriate position and the "R" can be accurately pronounced. And can be learned quickly.
In addition, since the holding portion and the insertion portion are integrated, a simple configuration can be achieved, the manufacturing is easy, and the cost is advantageous.
[0009]
According to the invention of claim 2, for example, as shown in FIG.
A curved portion 3 is formed in the insertion portion along the hard palate from the back side of the upper teeth.
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the insertion portion is formed with the curved portion substantially along the hard palate from the back side of the upper teeth, the tongue is formed when the curved shape portion pronounces "L" in English. Can be easily and reliably sensed as to whether or not the back side has contacted. Therefore, when the tongue is pronounced so as to contact the curved portion, the tongue comes into contact with the back side of the upper teeth, so that an accurate "L" can be pronounced.
By practicing pronunciation by inserting the pronunciation training tool into the oral cavity in this way, even when the pronunciation training tool is removed, the tongue can be arranged at an appropriate position and the "L" can be accurately pronounced. And can be learned quickly.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG.
A locking portion 2 for locking to upper teeth is provided at a portion where the insertion portion is continuous from the holding portion.
[0012]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the locking portion for locking to the upper teeth is provided at a portion where the insertion portion is continuous from the holding portion. The positioning of the training tool becomes easy.
[0013]
The invention of claim 4 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, in the pronunciation training tool according to claim 2 or 3,
When the tongue tip contacts the surface of the curved portion facing the tongue 13 and the portion of the portion extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate (eg, the extension 4) facing the tongue. It is characterized by being formed in a different shape giving a different feel.
[0014]
According to the invention of claim 4, when the tongue tip comes into contact, the surface facing the lingual side of the curved portion and the surface extending toward the hard palate from the curved portion face differently. Since the tongue tip is formed into an irregular shape, it is possible to sensitively identify and detect whether the tongue tip has contacted the curved shape portion or the portion extending from the curved shape portion toward the hard palate.
[0015]
The invention of claim 5 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), in the pronunciation training tool according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The width of the curved portion 3b is wider than the width of a portion (for example, the extension 4b) extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate.
[0016]
According to the invention of claim 5, since the width of the curved portion is formed wider than the width of the portion extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate, also in this respect, the curved portion or the curved portion is formed. It is possible to sensitively identify and sense which of the portions extending from the tongue toward the hard palate. In particular, when "L" is pronounced, the tongue tip can be reliably sensed by pressing a wide extending portion.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a pronunciation training tool according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted into an oral cavity and used, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pronunciation training tool.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pronunciation training tool 1 of the present invention is inserted into the oral cavity 11 to learn pronunciation of English “L” and “R”. The pronunciation training tool 1 is a thin plate-shaped member, and includes a holding part 5 held by hand and an insertion part 6 formed integrally with the holding part 5.
The holding section 5 is wider than the width of the insertion section 6. In addition, a circular recess 5a in plan view is formed in the center of the back surface of the holding portion 5, and the recess 5a is formed so that the thumb can touch it and is easy to hold.
[0018]
The insertion portion 6 is a portion to be inserted into the oral cavity 11, and has a curved shape portion 3 substantially along the hard palate 14 from the back side 12 b of the upper teeth 12 in the inserted state, and faces the hard palate 14 from the curved shape portion 3. And an extension portion 4 that extends. The distal end portion of the extension portion 4 has a spherical shape, and has a function of reducing the contact when the extension portion 4 is inserted into the oral cavity 11 and comes into contact with the hard palate 14.
[0019]
Further, a locking portion 2 that locks to the upper teeth 12 is provided in a portion where the curved portion 3 continues from the holding portion 5.
The locking portion 2 is formed as a concave groove so as to be locked to the lower edge 12a of the upper teeth 12 substantially at the center.
[0020]
The curved portion 3 is arranged along the back side 12b of the upper teeth 12 from the locking portion 2, and is a portion with which the tongue 13 contacts when pronouncing "L" in English.
The extension portion 4 is a portion that is arranged along the hard palate 14 from the curved shape portion 3 and does not come into contact with the tongue 13 when pronouncing “R” in English.
[0021]
The surface of the curved portion 3 facing the tongue 13 and the surface of the extension portion 4 facing the tongue 13 are formed in different shapes that give different feelings when the tongue 13 contacts. . That is, a plurality of grooves (vertical grooves 31 in FIG. 2) are formed in the curved portion 3 along the direction A in which the tongue 13 extends, and the extending portion 4 is formed in the direction A in which the tongue 13 extends. A plurality of grooves (lateral grooves 41 in FIG. 2) are formed so as to intersect with each other.
The width between the curved portion 3 and the extending portion 4 is, for example, about 5 mm, and substantially matches the width of the upper teeth 12.
[0022]
As described above, the pronunciation training tool 1 in which the holding portion 5 and the insertion portion 6 are integrally formed is made of resin. In particular, the locking portion 2, the curved portion 3, and the extension portion 4 Since it is inserted into the oral cavity 11, it is preferable that it is made of a polypropylene resin which does not easily break and has an antibacterial treatment specification.
[0023]
Next, the operation when using the pronunciation training tool 1 of the present invention will be described.
First, the pronunciation training tool 1 is inserted into the oral cavity 11, and the locking portion 2 is locked to the lower edge 12 a of the upper teeth 12. In this state, the curved portion 3 is arranged along the back side 12 b of the upper tooth 12, and the extension 4 is arranged along the hard palate 14.
[0024]
Then, when "L" is pronounced, an accurate "L" can be pronounced by making the tip of the tongue 13 come into contact with the curved portion 3. Here, a vertical groove 31 is formed in the curved portion 3, and the vertical groove 31 is formed in the same direction as the movement of the tongue 13 when the tongue 13 is brought into contact with the curved portion 3. , Get a good feeling of slip. This allows the user to confirm that the correct "L" has been pronounced.
[0025]
On the other hand, when pronounced “R”, accurate “R” can be pronounced by sounding the tongue 13 without touching the extension 4. Here, a lateral groove 41 is formed in the extension 4, and the lateral groove 41 is formed in a direction crossing the movement of the tongue 13 when the tongue 13 is brought into contact with the extension 4. , Get a rough feel. Thereby, the user can confirm that the pronunciation of "R" has not been made.
[0026]
As described above, according to the pronunciation training tool 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the holding portion 5 and the insertion portion 6 are integrated, and the insertion portion 6 is hardened from the back side 12 b of the upper teeth 12 in the state of being inserted into the oral cavity 11. Since it has the curved portion 3 substantially along the palate 14 and the extension portion 4 extending from the curved portion 3 toward the hard palate 14, when the English "R" or "L" is pronounced, the curved portion is curved. Whether the tongue 13 has contacted the shape portion 3 or the extension portion 4 or not can be easily and reliably sensed. In other words, an accurate “R” can be pronounced by sounding the tongue 13 so as not to contact the extension portion 4, and an accurate “L” can be sounded by sounding the tongue 13 to contact the curved shape portion 3. Can be pronounced.
By practicing pronunciation by inserting the pronunciation training tool 1 into the oral cavity 11 in this way, even when the pronunciation training tool 1 is removed, the tongue 13 is arranged at an appropriate position and the "R" and "L" are set. You will be able to pronounce accurately and learn quickly.
[0027]
Since the holding portion 5 and the insertion portion 6 are integrated, a simple configuration can be achieved, the manufacturing is easy, and the cost is advantageous.
Also, the surface of the curved portion 3 facing the tongue 13 and the surface of the extension 4 facing the tongue 13 are formed in different shapes giving different feelings when the tip of the tongue 13 contacts. Whether the tip of the tongue 13 has contacted the curved portion 3 or the extension portion 4 can be identified and sensed sensitively.
Further, since the locking portion 2 is locked to the lower edge 12 a of the upper teeth 12, the positioning of the pronunciation training tool 1 in the oral cavity 11 becomes easy.
[0028]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and specific shapes and structures can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, the holding portion 5 is assumed to be wider than the width of the insertion portion 6, but the invention is not limited thereto, and the holding portion 5 may be equal to the width of the insertion portion 6 and formed so as to be easily held by hand. Is preferred.
[0029]
Further, the curved portion 3 shown in FIG. 1 is located close to the back side 12b of the upper teeth 12, and the extending portion 4 is also located close to the hard palate 14. For example, as shown in FIG. The extension 3a may be arranged apart from the back side 12b of the upper teeth 12, and the extension 4a may also be arranged apart from the hard palate 14.
With this arrangement, a gap is formed between the upper teeth 12 and the back side 12b. By pressing the tongue 13 against the curved portion 3a while holding the holding portion 5 lightly by hand, the curved portion 3a is formed. Moves easily by the amount of the gap and comes into contact with the back side 12 b of the upper teeth 12. Thereby, the user can surely sense that the tongue 13 is arranged at an appropriate position. Since there is also a gap between the hard palate 14 and the tongue 13, the tongue 13 is pronounced so as not to come into contact with the extension 4a, so that the tongue 13 is positioned sufficiently away from the hard palate 14, Is further rounded and pronounced, so that an extremely accurate "R" sound can be obtained.
[0030]
Further, the shape of the above-described locking portion 2 is a concave groove that is in contact with the lower edge 12a of the upper tooth 12 as shown in FIG. 1, but, for example, as shown in FIG. The shape of 2a may be a concave groove that covers up to the front side of the upper teeth 12. By locking such locking portions 2a to the upper teeth 12, the pronunciation training tool 1 can be firmly fixed and used in the oral cavity 11.
In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0031]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vertical groove 31 is formed in the curved portion 3 and the horizontal groove 41 is formed in the extending portion 4, but the tongue 13 contacts the curved portion 3 and the extending portion 4. In such a case, the grooves may be formed only in the extending portion 4 and not formed in the curved portion 3 since the grooves may be formed in different shapes so as to give different feelings.
Furthermore, when the tongue 13 comes into contact with the curved portion 3 and the extending portion 4, the means for forming the different shapes so as to give different feelings is not limited to the above-described vertical groove 31 and the horizontal groove 41, A plurality of protrusions may be formed so as to be as follows. As such a projection, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a Braille 42 attached to the extension 4b can be mentioned. In FIG. 4A, “alphabet R & L” is written in Braille 42 in order from the tip of the extension 4b.
[0032]
Further, the above-described curved portion 3 and the extending portion 4 are formed to have substantially the same width, respectively, but as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the width of the curved portion 3b is extended. It may be formed wider than the width of the portion 4b. By making the curved portion 3b wider than the extending portion 4b in this way, when "L" is pronounced, the tip of the tongue 13 can be reliably sensed by pressing the wide curved portion 4b.
Also, when returning the tongue 13 by sounding R, it is preferable that the curvature of the extension 4b be small so that the tip of the tongue 13 does not touch the extension 4b.
In FIG. 4, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
According to the invention of claim 1, when the English "R" is pronounced, whether or not the tongue has contacted the insertion portion can be easily and reliably sensed, and the tongue is arranged at an appropriate position. Thus, "R" can be pronounced accurately and can be quickly learned.
In addition, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing is easy, and the cost is advantageous.
[0034]
According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained, and when the English "L" is pronounced, the tongue touches or does not touch the curved portion. It is possible to easily and surely sense whether or not it is hot, and by arranging the tongue at an appropriate position, the "L" can be accurately pronounced and quickly learned.
[0035]
According to the third aspect of the invention, the same effect as in the first or second aspect can be obtained, and the positioning of the pronunciation training tool in the oral cavity can be achieved by locking the locking portion to the upper teeth. Becomes easier.
[0036]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the same effect as in the second or third aspect can be obtained, and the tongue tip is applied to either the curved portion or the portion extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate. Can be sensitively identified and sensed.
[0037]
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the same effect as any of the second to fourth aspects can be obtained. Particularly, when "L" is pronounced, the tongue tip can be reliably sensed by pressing a wide extending portion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing a use state of a pronunciation training tool.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pronunciation training tool.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a modified example and showing a use state of a pronunciation training tool.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a modified example, in which FIG. 4A is a plan view of a pronunciation training tool, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the pronunciation training tool.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pronunciation training tool 2 Locking part 3, 3b Curved part 4, 4b Extension part 5 Holding part 6 Insertion part 11 Oral cavity 12 Upper teeth 12b Back side 13 Tongue 14 Hard palate

Claims (5)

A pronunciation training tool to be inserted into the oral cavity,
The holding part held by hand and the insertion part into the oral cavity are integrated,
The pronunciation training tool, wherein the insertion portion has a portion extending from the back side of the upper teeth toward the hard palate in a state of being inserted into the oral cavity. The pronunciation training tool according to claim 1, wherein a curved portion substantially extending along the hard palate from the back side of the upper teeth is formed in the insertion portion. The pronunciation training device according to claim 1, wherein a locking portion that locks to upper teeth is provided at a portion where the insertion portion is continuous from the holding portion. The surface facing the lingual side of the curved portion and the surface facing the lingual side of the portion extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate were formed into different shapes giving different feelings when the tongue tip came into contact. The pronunciation training tool according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The pronunciation training tool according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a width of the curved portion is formed to be wider than a width of a portion extending from the curved portion toward the hard palate. .

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