This volume is one in a series of monographs being issued under the
general title of "Disorders of Human Communication". Each monograph
deals in detail with a particular aspect of vocal communication and its
disorders, and is written by internationally distinguished experts.
Therefore, the series will provide an authoritative source of up-to-date
scientific and clinical informa- tion relating to the whole field of
normal and abnormal speech communication, and as such will succeed the
earlier monumental work "Handbuch der Stimm- und Sprachheilkunde" by R.
Luchsinger and G. E. Arnold (last issued in 1970). This series will
prove invaluable for clinicians, teachers and research workers in
phoniatrics and logopaedics, phonetics and linguistics, speech
pathology, otolaryngology, neurology and neurosurgery, psychology and
psychiatry, paediatrics and audiology. Several of the monographs will
also be useful to voice and singing teachers, and to their pupils. G. E.
Arnold, Jackson, Miss. F. Wincke1, Berlin B. D. Wyke, London Since it
was their chatter which prompted the question. this book is dedicated to
Sarah and VickY; to Peter who provided some of the answers; to Dorothy
in gratitude; and to Him who in the beginning was the Word. Preface
These pages are the long-delayed product of questions prompted by the
sponta- neous chatter of my two daughters when they were little. It was
only possible to begin to explore these unformed thoughts through the
repeated kindness of medi- cal friends who allowed me to record their
new-born children.