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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Saying F instead of TH

61 replies

jarralass · 28/04/2011 19:55

Hi,

I was just looking at some recent messages, and there was one about speech, and it got me thinking the number of times my DH and I correct our son for not saying TH. Example, one, two, free.......frow the ball....

Yet he says "with" no problem and Thursday ok. Anyone had similar issue, and does it just stop or will he always say it?

Thanks

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Elibean · 28/04/2011 20:09

dd1 is pretty much the same. 7 years old, Y2 - she has always had problems making the sound at the beginning of a word, she just can't do it. Will watch your thread with interest!

(dd2 has a problem with 's', and none with 'th' ....just for variety!)

Jaspants · 28/04/2011 20:13

We had the opposite where DS deliberately started using F instead of TH when he can say it properly - hope he is just trying to fit in and that it will pass

PanicOnTheStreetsOfLondon · 28/04/2011 20:15

Also watching with interest. DT1 does this but his twin doesn't do it all. DT1 can say it properly if I correct him, but he really has to concentrate to do it.

I find its a real problem with spellings, he knows that some words like 'the' t start with a th but when he comes across more difficult words he always goes for 'f' or 'v' ie teef or wiv.

I have wondered whether he needs speach therapy or elocution lessons!

sageygirl · 28/04/2011 20:22

How old are your DCs? My DD is nearly 5 and often says f instead of th. She calls her child minder Beff instead of Beth. She often says duh instead of the. Hopefully they will all grow out of it at some stage. She can make the proper sounds if reminded. We're not at the spelling stage yet so haven't experienced that.

Hassled · 28/04/2011 20:27

It's very very common. DS3 has verbal Dyspraxia - his speech is (most of the time) pretty sorted now, but he cannot differentiate between TH and F. When I raised this as a problem, the SALT said that lots of children without speech disorders would be having the same problem at his age.

But when you notice, correct him. TH has the tongue poking out between the teeth, a different mouth shape for F - get him to work out which it should be, and he'll start to hear the difference more.

Elibean · 28/04/2011 20:41

That's helpful, Hassled, thanks. dd is 7.5, and her teacher has asked about it recently - it does interfere with some of her spellings, which are otherwise naturally pretty good. She has always said 'duh' instead of 'the', and as she's bilingual (French/English) we always thought it was a French accent - but now I think its more than that. Will start addressing it, I think, gently.

2BoysTooLoud · 28/04/2011 20:42

I think I may still do this sometimes.. .

Portoeufino · 28/04/2011 20:44

My 7 yo does this when spelling words phonetically that she doesn't know. I blame my southern accent. She too is bilingual french/english. We had friends to visit and were trying to decipher "Maffiou" It was Matthew....

mrz · 28/04/2011 20:45

I've just had a 23 year old final year teaching student who says "fing" and "fink" and "mouf" so it won't necessarily go away without support.

supadupacreameggscupa · 28/04/2011 20:47

My husband always says v instead of th. you hardly notice, but when you do it's really annoying (he talks a bit posh so most people don't notice haha)

Original poster

jarralass · 28/04/2011 20:57

Thanks for your replies, we constantly pull DS (6 years, Yr 1) up for his F instead of TH, but doesn't seem to click. Will keep going though.....

OP posts:

Elibean · 28/04/2011 21:16

Just tried talking to dd about it - she got very defensive to start with ('I don't WANT to say 'th', its SPITTY' ) but then said 'th' without any trouble at all, and surprised herself and ended up laughing. I was relieved to see she could, in fact, pronounce it - clearly just a habit, so will start working on it.

Thanks

crazycarol · 28/04/2011 23:07

My 52 yr dh is a cockney and does this, apparantly has done it all his life. DD sometimes copies him but in jest rather than by accident.

blackeyedsusan · 28/04/2011 23:51

average development, th by 5 1/2 and all sounds by 7 1/2, according to the leaflet I got from the speech therapist.

blackeyedsusan · 28/04/2011 23:54

thr is different from th followed by a vowel. they are listed separately in the leaflet.

blackeyedsusan · 28/04/2011 23:56

Jarralass, the speech therapist suggests it is better to model (repeat) the word correctly "yes, throw the ball" rather than trying to get them to say it correctly.

mathanxiety · 29/04/2011 00:04

Agree with Blackeyedsusan -- Correction just becomes annoying for a child if it happens all the time. It's not going to help and will just add to everyone's frustration levels. Don't be so anxious, and model the correct pronunciation very clearly when you speak.

Maryz · 29/04/2011 00:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Valpollicella · 29/04/2011 00:06

Very interesting thread - thanks all.

seeker · 29/04/2011 00:09

Don;t correct - model.

And rememebr that it might be a regional thing that he's learning from froends at school - myu ds wrote a birthday card to his friend when he was about 6 - "Happy Birfday, Efan"

He can now, at 10 say "th" whenever he wants to, but chooses not to for protective colouration at school. Fine by me - it's always good to speak another language!

SoloIsApparentlyACougar · 29/04/2011 00:21

This totally winds me up too and luckily Ds speaks properly and always has. Dd on the other hand has a lisp and cannot 'th' at all. or 'r' :( makes me very sad, but I can accept that she can't help it, though having said that, I do try to teach her to shape and situate her tongue to say these sounds.

seeker · 29/04/2011 00:22

Why on earth doea it make you sad?

It's what they say that's important. Focus too much on how thay say it and they'll stop telling you things!

SoloIsApparentlyACougar · 29/04/2011 00:31

It just does seeker. She has fantastic vocabulary for a 4yo and I'm a bit of a stickler for correct English, so to hear her f instead of th tightens my stomach a bit. I am more accepting of it now because I realise that it's the lisp and not just copying her peers. I am grateful that she says little and not li-ule (can't begin to think how to spell that).
Anyway, I'm going to take her to a speech therapist to see if I can help her any more than I am trying to already.

seeker · 29/04/2011 00:42

She's 4 and has a "fantastic vocabulary"!

Leave the speech therapists for children who actually have a problem.

I was about 8 before I could reliably say "th" and still have to take a run at some words - fortunately words I don't have to say very often - thistle and isthmus being prime examples! But I was never made to feel that I was somehow talking wrong - I'm sure that would have been very damaging to my confidence.

Honestly, acknoqledge that it's your problem, not hers. Listen to what she's saying and not hwo she's sayingit and relax.

SoloIsApparentlyACougar · 29/04/2011 01:13

Thanks for your advice, but I think I'll make my own decision on that :) it's a walk in centre that I'll be taking her to, so I'm not depriving anyone else of an actual appointment. As a matter of fact, I refused to be referred to avoid taking up an appointment.

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