Hardy HarCARTOON Har SPEECH By Kate Ross, MS CCC-SLP created'by'several'artists'and' writers'beginning'in'the'1930’s' –'issues'that'over'the'years' have'caused'controversies. Two'Looney'Tune'characters' are'stutterers:'Porky'Pig'and' Foghorn'Leghorn.'Stuttering'is' a'disruption'in'the'rhythm'of' speech,'characterized'by' repetitive'or'prolonged'sound,' word'and'phrase'productions.' The'original'voice'for'Porky'Pig' was'a'Warner'Brothers'actor' named'Joe'Dougherty,'a'real' stutterer.'Porky'debuted'in' Photo by Alena Ross Becker 1935'utilizing'Dougherty’s' voice'until'1937.'After'several' None the Worse for Wear episodes,'the'cartoon' productions'were'troubled' language'issue'or'a'learning' because'of'Dougherty’s' As a kid faithfully watching challenge.'Look'at'the' uncontrolled'stuttering.' Saturday morning cartoons in persistence'of'Wyle'E'Coyote,' Thereafter'the'studio'hired'Mel' the ‘60’s, and striving to talk like perseverating'on'getting'that' Blanc'whose'Oirst'voices'with' Road'Runner'after'numerous' the Jetson’s dog, Astro, who Looney'Tunes'were'drunken' catastrophic'poundings'on'his' bullOighters'in'Picador(Porky'in' initiated each word with /r/, I body.'Who'would'put'up'with' 1937.'Blanc'was'able'to'make'a' feel none the ‘rorse ror rear’ as such'physical'abuse?'' Astro dog would say. But maybe ' And'what'about'Pepe'Le' controlled'stutter'for'Porky,' there’s something to this as my Pew’s'persistence'to'woo'that' thus'was'hired.' chosen career path is speech black'and'white'feline?''He'just' http:// language pathology. ! will'not'take'‘no’'for'an'answer.'' toolooney.goldenagecartoons.com What'is'that'about? Several'years'ago,'while' ' Let’s'look'at'some'of'the' While'Porky'tended'to' teaching'graduate'students,'it' more'obvious'speech'and' repeat'sounds'at'the'beginning' dawned'on'me'that'almost'all'of' language'issues'brought'about' of'words,'such'as'“BRbRbut'my' the'Looney'Tune'characters' in'these'cartoon'characters' have'a'form'of'speech'or' ©Kate Ross, MS CCC-SLP Page One Of lisping /s/ and funky /l/ and /r/ sounds - What’s it all about? name’s'not'JRJRJRJack.'IR of'the'vocal'play'for'both' this'out.''A'speech'language' I’m'PRPRPRPorky'Pig”,'Foghorn' Sylvester'and'Daffy.' pathologist'could'have'helped' Leghorn'repeated'phrases.'' him'during'his'midRelementary' ''http:// Foghorn'Leghorn,'Oirst' years. toolooney.goldenagecartoons.com presented'in'1946'in'Walky( ' And'then'there’s'sweet' Talky(Hawky(created'by'Robert' ' Daffy'Duck'had'many' little'Tweety'Bird,'again'voice' McKimson'and'voiced'by'Mel' incarnations'in'the'cartoon' provided'by'Mel'Blanc.'A' Blanc,'is'a'loudRmouthed' world,'mostly'in'the'zany'duck' phonological'process'known'as' leghorn'rooster,'shouting'out' role'and'often'as'sidekick'for' stopping'is'Tweety’s'speech' aphorisms,'such'as'“You're' others,'such'as'Porky'Pig'with' challenge,'favoring'/t/'and'/d/' doing'a'lot'of'choppin','but'no' whom'he'Oirst'appeared.''Daffy’s' sounds'as'in'“I'taut'I'taw'a' chips'are'Olyin'.” And'try'this' voice'is'really'just'a'spedRup' puddy'tat.'I'did,'I'DID'tee'a' logical'math:'“Two'half'nuthin’s' version'of'Sylvester'–'thus'both' puddy'tat.”''Though'Tweety' is'a'whole'nuthin’.” carry'that'sloppy'lateral' goes'a'bit'overboard'with'these' http://onefoggy.tripod.com lisped''/s/'that'could'have'used' favored'sounds'likely'to'add' Often'squawking'at'his'innocent' the'expertise'of'a'speech' humor,'I'have'actually'heard' little'bespectacled'nephew,' language'pathologist.''http:// young'children'speak'like'this.'' Foghorn,'the'talkative'uncle,' toolooney.goldenagecartoons.com Is'it'because'they'watch'too' wasn’t'set'back'by'his'stutter.'‘I' Elmer'Fudd,'funny'little' many'cartoons?''I'don’t'think'so.'' say,'I'say,'I'say'now'why'don’t' old'bald'guy,'originally'named' This'phonological'process'is' we'get'on'with'it'already'.'.'.’ Egghead,'who'constantly' developmentally'typical' bickers'with'Bugs'Bunny,'has'a' because'it’s'easier'to'produce' babyish'voice,'most'often' ‘stopped’'/t,'d/'sounds'than'the' Sylvester)the)Cat)and)Daffy)Duck) spoken'by'Arthur'Q.'Bryan.' continuous'airOlow'of'frictionR articulate'lateral'lisping'/s/' Depending'on'the'cartoon,'you' produced'/s/'and'‘th’'sounds.'' productions'where'air'escapes' might'detect'a'bit'of'a'vocal'fry' Stopping'is'one'of'many' over'the'sides'of'the'tongue' or'raspiness'in'Fudd’s'vocal' phonological'processes'young' rather'than'the'more'accurate' quality.'“You'siwwy'wabbit,”' children'produce'to'help'them' air'passing'over'the'top'front'of' Fudd'often'says'in'his' make'sense'of'and'simplify'our' a'slightly'curved'tongue.'Lateral' frustration'with'Bugs.' sound'system.'Phonological' lisping'/s/’s'are'sloppy,' During'my'career'as'a' processes'are'essentially' excessively'juicy'sounds,'thus' speech'language'pathologist,' patterns'children'make.' teachers'often'ask'me'about' the'Olying'saliva'episodes'of' Typically'these'phonological' preschoolers'speaking'like' process'errors'are'selfR both'Sylvester'and'Daffy.' Elmer'Fudd;'is'it'ok?'Many' corrected'through'practice,'but' Sylvester'created'by'Friz' preschoolers,'kindergartners' occasionally'intervention'is' Freleng'in'1945,'began'his' and'even'Oirst'graders'speak'like' necessary'to'achieve'intelligible' cartoon'career'in'Life(with( Fudd,'distorting'/l/'and'/r/' speech. Feathers'with'his'Oirst'words' sounds.'Young'children'take'a' “Sufferin’'Succotash.”'These'Oirst' long'time'to'perfect'these' words'were'actually'‘thufferin’' ‘gliding’'sounds;'gliding'into' what'proceeds'and'succeeds' thuccotash’,'which'became' tilizing'children’s'speech' their'placement'in'words'and' U Sylvester’s'trademark'phrase.' phrases.'At'his'mature'age,' and'language'characteristics' Mel'Blanc'was'again'the'genius' Fudd'really'should'have'Oigured' within'cartoons'may'be' ©Kate Ross, MS CCC-SLP Page Two What I hear and . what is my point? Utilizing children’s speech in cartoons controversial.'Adults'really' kitchen'sink'sponge,'added' should'model'good'speech' belted'brown'square'pants'and' habits,'clearly'enunciating' a'white'Oxford'shirt'topped'off' sounds'in'words'and'using' with'a'short'red'tie.'Originally' he'named'his'creation'Sponge' appropriate'grammar.'But'what' Boy,'but'that'name'was'already' sells'in'media,'prevails.'And'the' trademarked,'so'he'changed'to' Rugrats'add'to'this'controversy.' Sponge'Bob.''http:// The'Rugrats'created'by' ! Photo by Larry Becker www.factmonster.com/spot/ Arlene'Klasky','gabor'Csupo'and' spongebobfacts.html''Square' Paul'germain,'debuted'in'1991' One)of)my)favorite)cartoon) Pants'was'tagged'on'and'taR da'.'.'.'another'successful' for'Nickelodeon'cable'network.' character)names) is'Sponge'Bob' cartoon'character,'though'my' The'babies'and'toddlers'speak' Square'Pants'R'quite'a'mouthful' speech'language'pathologist' babyese,'while'fully' for'preschool'children.'I'once' understanding'what'adults'say' ears'are'offended. to'them.'However,'they'ageR visited'a'twoRyear'old'boy'at'his' Another'aspect'of'the' typically'take'Oigurative' home'because'his'mom'was' Sponge'Bob'cartoons'that'is' language'literally'R'‘I'don’t'see' concerned'he'wasn’t'saying'any' concerning'as'a'speech' the'cats'and'dogs'raining' words'yet.''Lo'and'behold,' language'pathologist'is'the' outside.'Where'the'heck'are' during'this'very'visit,'my'Oirst' frenetic'approach'–'reportedly' they?’'the'toddlers'might'say. with'this'child,'he'brought'a' contributing'to'the'attention' The'Rugrats’' picture'of'Sponge'Bob'Square' deOicit'of'our'youth.''Scenes'in' communications'consist'of' Pants'to'his'mother'and'said,' the'popular'cartoon'Oly'by' within'seconds.''How'can'a' developmentally'typical'sound' “Sponge'Bob”'–'not'that'clearly' young'child’s'brain'process'such' and'grammar'errors,'such'as' of'course'–'it'was'more'like'Bah' deleting'smaller'function'words' rapidROire'information?'A'very' (‘of’,'‘the’'and'‘to’).'Tommy' Bah,'but'we'all'knew'what'he' good'question,'but'I'also' Pickles,'still'in'diapers,'might' meant'due'to'the'contextual'cue' question'how'adults'process'the' say,'“Chuckie'go'byeRbye?”' of'that'picture.''The'mother'was' auctionRlike'speed'of'lists'of' Chuckie'Finster,'perhaps'three' beside'herself'with'joy.''Her'son' side'effects'in'the'every'tenR years'old,'might'respond,'“Yeah,' had'spoken!''Thanks'Steve' minute'pharmaceutical' I’m'goin’'byeRbye.”''Chuckie’s' Hillenburg'for'creating'Sponge' commercials'on'TV'during'peak' nasal'vocal'quality'is'not' Bob'Square'Pants!'' TV'watching'hours?''I'don’t' prevalent'in'preschool'aged' think'even'younger'adult'minds' children,'but'can'be'heard'in' I'hear'anywhere'from' can'keep'up'with'that'pace.''So' children'with'frequent'colds'or' “Bob'Bob”'to'“Wear'Pants”'to' why'is'Sponge'Bob'under' adenoid'issues.'http:// “Punge'Pant”.''It'takes'a'while' scrutiny'while'we'ignore'the' www.lonympics.co.uk/rugs.htm for'me'to'recognize'that'a'child' sometimes'lifeRthreatening'drug' is'speaking'of'Hillenburg’s' side'effects'Olying'by'in'TV'ads?' creation,'which'debuted'in' ''' 1999.'Hillenburg,'a'marine' biologist'and'artist,'thought'it' Just what, you ask, is my point? would'be'fun'to'develop'an' If'children'are'the'ultimate' ocean'sponge'cartoon'character.' He'chose'a'yellow'rectangular' users'of'the'names,'why'are'we' ©Kate Ross, MS CCC-SLP Page Three Share conversational bonding with your children . it’s rewarding! creating'such'phonologically' learned'just'a'small'handful'of' your'child.'Show'a'desire'to'be' difOicult'names'like'Sponge'Bob' those'names,'I'too'was'able'to' together.'At'the'same'time,' Square'Pants?''Why'are'we' widen'my'conversation'topics' media'needs'to'be'aware'of'the'