Speech
This page is about the lingual speech; for the rapper see Speech (rapper).
Speech can be described as an act of producing
voice through the use of the
vocal cords and
vocal apparatus or other means, such as
sign language, to create
linguistic acts in the form of
language that communicate information from an initiator to a recipient.
In more
colloquial terms, speech can be described in several different ways:
#A linguistic act designed to convey information.#Various types of linguistic acts where the audience consists of more than one individual, including
public speaking,
oration, and
quotation.#The physical act of
speaking, primarily through the use of
vocal cords to produce voice. See
phonology and
linguistics for more detailed information on the physical act of speaking.
However, speech can also take place inside one's head, known as
intrapersonal communication, for example, when one
thinks or utters sounds of
approval or disapproval. At a deeper level, one could even consider
subconscious processes, including
dreams where aspects of oneself communicate with each other (see
Sigmund Freud), as part of intrapersonal communication, even though most
human beings do not seem to have direct access to such communication.
There are several factors that can affect the quality of speech as such. Among these are:
#Diseases and disorders of the
lungs or the
vocal cords, including
paralysis, respiratory infections, and
cancers of the lungs and throat.
#Diseases and disorders of the
brain, including
alogia,
aphasias and
speech processing disorders, where impaired perception of the message (as opposed to the actual sound) leads to poor speech production.
#Articulatory problems, such as
stuttering,
lisping,
cleft palate,
ataxia, or
nerve damage leading to problems in
articulation.
Tourette syndrome and
tics can also affect speech.
#Problems in the perception of sound and auditory information can affect speech. In addition to aphasias,
anomia and certain types of
dyslexia can impede the quality of auditory perception, and therefore, expression.
Hearing impairments and
deafness can be considered to fall into this category.
Thus, it is clear that speech has both expressive and receptive elements. The purpose of speech can be to convey meaning or to increase social bonds between
individuals and/or
groups (it is often both). For the latter,
shallowness is not a problem. The success of a speech act depends on numerous factors, including the presence or absence of a variety of
speech disorders, the ability of the speaker to express the intended message, and the ability and willingness of the audience to play the
role of recipient.
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking.
There is a number of definitions of a speech as a form of expression. Take a closer look at the following variations in meaning:
* The faculty or act of speaking (The faculty or act of expressing or describing thoughts, feelings, or perceptions by articulation of words)
*A talk or public address: "The best impromptu speeches are the ones written well in advance" (Ruth Gordon). (A printed copy of such an address).
* One's habitual manner or style of speaking.
* The language or dialect of a nation or region: American speech.
* The study of oral communication, speech sounds, and vocal physiology.
* Archaic.
Rumor.
A speech is a tool to convert thoughts into utterances carrying out specific meaning that when combined influences the general overview of the problem discussed. First masters of speech were born in first democratic states like
Ancient Greece and
Rome. The word "forum" we see online dozens of times a day originates from Greek "forum" (a place for public meetings and discussions). This is the place where ancient Greeks used to express their attitudes and opinions in the public. Free speech as we know is the first characteristic feature of
democracy.
Speech is a form of art and the last has a history of over a thousand years. The first world known speaker that actually defined the genre was
Socrates, an Athenian citizen managing a school of philosophers called sophists. Being a man of extreme wisdom he influenced the minds of Greeks for a decade until was executed for "corrupting the youth of Athens". His famous follower
Plato took up the works and developed it into a literature genre with major peculiarities known to us.
Speech is a composite of sciences (
phonetics,
anatomy,
philosophy,
psychology etc.) and therefore it is extremely hard to master the skill. Professional speakers undergo continuous training until they become skilled leaders in the society. But returning to the quote of Ruth Gordon "The best impromptu speeches are the ones written well in advance" one has to admit the importance of writing skills. Nowadays it is easy to create and perform a speech; a lot of assistance is offered. Famous politicians, speakers, and other public mind revealers use a team of assistants to work on a single solid piece of text. Editors and writers are professionally maintaining the process of speech writing and only after the speech is fully tailored to the aim and the style of the speaker, it is presented in public.
A few animals are capable of imitating human speech. The most notable and obvious of these are
parrots, although apparently there are some
dogs and
cats who are able to as well, albeit indistinctly. [
1] [
2]
*
Debate*
Eloquence*
Esophageal speech*
Individual events (Speech competition)
*
List of speeches*
Speech synthesizer*
Speech delay*
Spoken language*
Vocalization*
Speech compression resources
