What is speech? What is language?

Speech includes articulation, fluency, and voice.

• Articulation. This is how speech sounds are made. Your tongue, lips, teeth, and other muscles move together to make sounds. 

• Fluency. When we talk, we are usually able to say a sentence or more without too much trouble.  If your someone stops a lot or repeats sounds or words, he may be stuttering. 

• Voice. You need to make sound to talk. Sound comes from your voice box, or larynx. Voice problems happen when a person's voice doesn't sound right for his age or gender. 

Language includes listening, talking, reading, and writing. People use language to:

• Understand what is said and follow directions
• Use words in the right order to say what she thinks, feels, wants, and needs
• Write down thoughts and ideas
• Understand what she reads
• Show that she knows what words mean and how to use them

"We took Jamie to see a speech-language pathologist. The SLP tested him and found that he isn't saying some of his speech sounds the right way, which makes it hard for others to understand him. He also has a language disorder, which is why he isn't following directions or saying a lot of new words. Now, the SLP sees him at day care and is helping him understand directions, use more words, and say sounds more clearly." - Karl

ASHA 2010