Exercise 5-8: Hold Your Tongue!

You and I are going to read with our tongues firmly held at the roofs of our mouths.

If you want, hold a clean dime there with the tongue's tip;

the dime will let you know when you have dropped your tongue because it will fall out.

(Do not use candy; it will hold itself there since wet candy is sticky.)

If you prefer, you can read with your tongue between your teeth instead of the standard behind-the-teeth position, and use a small mirror.

Remember that with this technique you can actually see your tongue disappear as you hear your L sounds drop off.

It's going to sound ridiculous, of course, and nobody would ever intentionally sound like this,

but no one will hear you practice.

You don't want to sound like this:

lllllllllll.

Force your tongue to make all the various vowels in spite of its position.

Let's go.

Leave a little for Lola!