What is Speech, Language and Communication?
The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists defines the terms speech, language and communication as follows:
Speech refers to:
- Saying sounds accurately and in the right places in words
- Speaking fluently, without hesitation, prolonging or repeating words or sounds
- Speaking with expression in a clear voice, using pitch, volume and intonation to add meaning
Language refers to:
- Understanding and making sense of what people say
- Using words to build up sentences which are used in longer stretches or spoken language and to build conversations
- Putting information in the right order to make sense
Communication refers to:
- Being able to communicate to people and take turns as well as change language/communication to suit the situation; in effect, how we interact with others
- Non-verbal communication, for example eye contact, gestures and facial expressions
- Being able to consider another person’s perspective, intentions and the wider context
