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Speech

Speech can be described as the act of producing sound through the use of the
vocal chords or other means, such as sign language, to create linguistic
acts that communicate information from a initiator to a recipient.

In more colloquial terms, speech can be described several different ways:

  1. A linguistic act designed to convey information.
  2. Various types of linguistic acts where the audience consists of more
     than one individual, including public speaking, oration, and quotation.
  3. The physical act of speaking, primarily through the use of vocal chords
     to produce sound. See phonology and linguistics for more detailed
     information on the physical act of speaking.

There are several factors that can affect the quality of speech. Among these
are:

  1. Diseases and disorders of the lungs or the vocal chords, including
     paralysis, respiratory infections, and cancers of the lungs and throat.
  2. 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.
  3. Articulatory problems, such as stuttering, lisping, cleft palate,
     ataxia, or nerve damage leading to problems in articulation. Tourette
     syndrome and nervous tics can also affect speech.
  4. 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.

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