Speech and Language

 

Speech is the verbal way of communicating with others to deliver a message. It includes things such as articulation (how we make sounds using our mouth, tongue, lips, and teeth), fluency (the rhythm of these sounds in our speech- sometimes many of us repeat sounds or words when we talk - this is called stuttering), and voice (how the speech actually sounds- is it hoarse sounding, does it shake a little, etc.). Sometimes, a person might not be able to speak with their voice, but rather s/he tells a computer what to say and the computer speaks it for them.  

 Language is made up of socially accepted rules that include things like semantics (what words mean), making new words out of existing words (like changing "big" to "bigger" to suit the context), putting words together to communicate the desired message, and then being able to receive and understand the message whether it is spoken, written, or communicated through body movements and expressions (nonverbal communication).

 

Speech and Language are two different things, but they go together. They have to do with communication, and communicating is one of the most important things that we all have to learn how to do well. Many of us learn how to communicate with our speech-language skills when we're younger, but many of us don't, and that's ok. We all learn differently and have various strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has the right to communicate their wants, needs, and preferences, no matter how they do it!