Speech
- For 'speech', meaning a talk, see Public speaking
Speech is when language is used to communicate. Only humans have language. Speech between two people is a conversation.
Speech is made up of sounds that are made when air passes through the voice box and is shaped by the lips, tongue, teeth, nose and palate.
To make speech a person has to be able to:
1) choose speech sounds 2) put them into a sequence 3) produce sound in the voice box 4) use the lips, tongue, teeth, nose and palate to make the sounds
Difficulties can happen at any stage of this 4 stage sequence. Difficulties at stages 1 and 2 are known as phonological difficulties while problems at stages 3 and 4 are known as articulation diffiulcties or motor co-ordination difficulties. A speech and language therapist can help work out the stage of the sequence that has difficulties and give therapy. [1][2]
Animals do not have speech, but they may communicate with each other by using sounds, or by other means.
A speaker may say something, and if it is heard, what the speaker says may be understood. Sometimes language is difficult to understand. It may be vague,[3] confusing, or even misleading. It may be easy or difficult.
The same speech may be made in different languages, by means of translation.
