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Definition
 Speech
is the universal means of oral communication.
It
distinguishes humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.
Speech
(not writing) is considered by linguists
as the primary material for study. Examples
German,
Italian, French, Spanish, are all varieties of European languages.
Legal,
religious, medical, and technical language are all varieties of
spoken occupational jargon.
There
are many varieties of spoken language, many of which are used even
on an individual basis.
Use
Speech
is innately acquired – unlike writing, which is a skill which
has to be learned.
Speech
is used constantly by everyone for a variety of functions,
from the passing of information to the sharing of emotions.
There
are no designated human speech organs, but respiratory and digestive
organs are adapted to produce speech.
The
pharynx is purely the sound box, shared by other animal species,
primarily designed to produce mating, warning, and herding calls.
Speech
and writing are two separate systems
and an individual's linguistic competence depends on the ability
to make a clear distinction between the two.
Speech
normally contains hesitations, repetitions, and grammatical 'errors'.
It contains lots of 'ums' and ers', and all sorts of sounds which
have no connection with writing as a means of communication.
Speech
is normally accompanied by many other non-verbal features which
affect communication – such as intonation and stress, facial
expressions, physical gestures, and even bodily posture.
In
the study of language, speech is considered primary and as a system
which is entirely separate from writing.
Children
who are learning to write often confuse the two. They produce a
written form of speech.
Maturity
is demonstrated by the ability to use a literary style which is
completely discrete and separate from speech.
Humans
acquire speech due to their innate programming. Writing on the
other hand is a skill which must be learnt in the same way as driving,
sewing, or cooking.
There
are still some societies in the world which have no written form
of language, but which depend entirely on speech.
Sign
language, among the profoundly hearing-impaired, is a system which
can perform all that a spoken language can in terms of communication.
In this case, the hands are adapted instead of respiratory and
digestive organs in order to communicate.
As
far as Linguistics is concerned, there is no such thing as a primitive
language. All languages are equal in potential, to perform any
communication task required by its users.
The
organs used in speech are as follows:
lips |
teeth |
tongue |
palate |
glottis |
uvula |
nose |
trachea |
lungs |
pharynx |
All
children develop their ability to use language at approximately
the same rate, despite the variations in nationality or circumstances.
In
the process of a child's development, the acquisition of phonology,
semantics and grammar progresses
simultaneously.
This
continues until linguistic maturity is reached around the age of
seven. After this, an individual's linguistic competence varies
according to training, environment, and perceived necessity.
This
development runs as follows:
Months |
Sounds |
00–03 |
non-linguistic vocalisations |
03–06 |
babbling |
06–09 |
beginnings of recognisable speech sounds |
09–12 |
holophrastic - one-word sentences such as 'dada' |
By
the age of seven years all the phonological sounds
of the language have been acquired.
Speech
and writing are two different systems. They are closely related,
but not the same.
Speech
is normally a continuous stream of sound. It is not broken up into
separate parts like writing.
People
do not speak in sentences or paragraphs,
and most of what is said is not even distinct 'words'.
People
usually make up the content of what they are saying quite spontaneously,
without any need for planning or long deliberation.
Conversations
are often accompanied by other sign systems which aid understanding.
These might be physical gestures, facial expressions, even bodily
posture.
Meaning
in speech is also commonly conveyed by tone and
other non-verbal means such as the use of irony.
Speech
quite commonly includes false starts, repetition, hesitations,
'fillers' with no lexical meaning [such as 'um' and er'] and even
nonsense words which replace terms which can not be recalled [such
as 'thingy' and 'doo-dah'].
Speech
may often be quite inexplicit – because the participants in
a conversation can rely on the context for
understanding.
Speech
cannot be revised or edited in the same way as writing.
Speech
cannot be recalled for leisurely perusal or study.
Most
people [unconsciously] employ a wide range of speech varieties in
their everyday conversation.
Linguists
regard speech as primary, writing as
secondary.
Language
change takes place far more rapidly in speech than in writing.
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