Speech therapy question

[asteamedpoater]

Does anyone pronounce the letter "r" using their lips and not their tongue????? Or are there any speech therapists out there who can confirm that this is a perfectly achievable and acceptable way of pronouncing that letter?!

I only ask because my ds1 still can't say "r", and my dh couldn't say "r" either, until he was about 7, after a few sessions of speech therapy. Anyway, I've been busy trying to show ds1 how I move my tongue to say the letter "r"... until the other night, when I had a little argument with my dh, because he said that he'd been taught how to say "r" using his lips. Obviously, I find this totally impossible, because I've never done it that way and don't see how you can possibly avoid saying "w" or "v" if you use your lips. However, when I asked my ds1 to have a go, he did manage to produce a sound pretty similar to an "r" that way (maybe a little bit more like a "v", but subtle enough to sound pretty "r"-like!).

So, is this an OK way to learn to say "r", if you don't mind never being able to roll your r's??? I have to admit, I've never noticed my dh sounding odd when he talks, and he's adamant his tongue isn't moving when he says words with an "r" in them!!!

[fidelma]

we have lots of wed wabbits in our garden.I will be intersted to wead the wesponse !

[Northumberlandlass]

I have just sat like a plonker in front of my PC...going 'r r r r r'
I have decided that I do move my tongue when I say 'r', the front section lifts towards the roof of my mouth..is that what you mean ?

My DS has been seeing a SALT for nearly 4 years (slow progress), but 'r' was never one of his problem sounds, so haven't thought about it before!

[asteamedpoater]

Yes, that's what I mean - when I say "r", the back of my tongue is quite fat and flat but the front lifts up. Apparently that doesn't happen when my husband says it - he's adamant he can pin his tongue down to the floor of his mouth and still say "r". The closest I can get to saying "r" with only minimal tongue movement is by pulling my chin backwards as I attempt the sound! I'm sure I've never seen the chinless wonder look on dh when he talks!

[asteamedpoater]

Actually, when I think about it, my tongue isn't flat - it's got a hump in it at the back, because it's slightly pulled back in my mouth so as not to touch my teeth.

I think I'm normal and dh is just weird... although possibly analysing the mechanics of the letter "r" in so much detail is not the most normal pastime in the world. Still, in the absence of a helpful speech therapist to assist...