Speech: Difference between revisions

'''Speech''' is a [[human voice|human vocal]] [[communication]] using [[language]]. Each language uses [[Phonetics|phonetic]] combinations of [[vowel]] and [[consonant]] sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are the same word, e.g., "role" or "hotel"), and using those words in their semantic character as words in the [[lexicon]] of a language according to the [[Syntax|syntactic]] constraints that [[Governance|govern]] lexical words' function in a sentence. In speaking, speakers perform many different intentional [[speech act]]s, e.g., informing, declaring, asking, persuading, directing, and can use [[Elocution|enunciation]], [[Intonation (linguistics)|intonation]], degrees of [[loudness]], [[tempo]], and other non-representational or [[Paralanguage|paralinguistic]] aspects of vocalization to convey meaning. In their speech, speakers also unintentionally communicate many aspects of their social position such as sex, age, place of origin (through [[Accent (sociolinguistics)|accent]]), physical states (alertness and sleepiness, vigor or weakness, health or illness), psychological states (emotions or moods), physico-psychological states (sobriety or [[Alcohol intoxication|drunkenness]], normal consciousness and [[trance]] states), education or experience, and the like.