Etymology : Middle English speche, from Old English spr[AE]c, sp[AE]c; akin to Old English sprecan to speak; more at SPEAK
Pronunciation : 'spEch
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. speaking ability; something that is communicated orally, something that is spoken; dialogue, conversation; manner in which one speaks; dialect; study of oral communication. speech\speech\ , n. [oe. speche, as. sp c, spr , fr. specan, sprecan, to speak; akin to d. spraak speech, ohg. sprāhha, g. sprache, sw. spr k, dan. sprog. see:
speak.].
2. the faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking. there is none comparable to the variety of instructive expressions by speech, wherewith man alone is endowed for the communication of his thoughts.
3. he act of speaking; that which is spoken; words, as expressing ideas; language; conversation.note: speech is voice modulated by the throat, tongue, lips, etc., the modulation being accomplished by changing the form of the cavity of the mouth and nose through the action of muscles which move their walls. o goode god! how gentle and how kind ye seemed by your speech and your visage the day that maked was our marriage. the acts of god to human ears can nort without process of speech be told.
4. a particular language, as distinct from others; a tongue; a dialect. people of a strange speech and of an hard language. iii.
5. 4. talk; mention; common saying. the duke did of me demand what was the speech among the londoners concerning the french journey.
6. formal discourse in public; oration; harangue. the constant design of these orators, in all their speeches, was to drive some one particular point.
7. ny declaration of thoughts. i. with leave of speech implored, replied.
8. The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking. he act of speaking; that which is spoken; words, as expressing ideas; language; conversation.
9. A particular language, as distinct from others; a tongue; a dialect.
10. Talk; mention; common saying. formal discourse in public; oration; harangue. ny declaration of thoughts.
11. To make a speech; to harangue. communication by word of mouth; "his speech was garbled"; "he uttered harsh language"; "he recorded the spoken language of the streets" the exchange of spoken words; "they were perfectly comfortable together without speech" something spoken; "he could hear them uttering merry speeches".
12. 1. Speech is the ability to speak or the act of speaking. the development of speech in children a speech therapist specialising in stammering.
13. Your speech is the way in which you speak. His speech became increasingly thick and nasal I'd make fun of her dress and imitate her speech.
14. Speech is spoken language. the way common letter clusters are usually pronounced in speech.
15. A speech is a formal talk which someone gives to an audience. She is due to make a speech on the economy next week He delivered his speech in French. a dramatic resignation speech.
16. A speech is a group of lines spoken by a character in a play. the hilarious speech from Alan Bennett's `Forty Years On'. see also:
direct speech, figure of speech, indirect speech, maiden speech, part of speech, reported speech. Human communication through audible language. Speech sounds are made with air exhaled from the lungs, which passes between the vocal cords in the larynx and out through the vocal tract (pharynx and oral and nasal cavities). This airstream is shaped into different sounds by the articulators, mainly the tongue, palate, and lips (see:
articulation). Articulatory phonetics describes each sound in terms of the position and action of the articulators used to make it. Speech is also described in terms of syntax, lexicon (inventory of words or morphemes), and phonology (sounds). figure of speech freedom of speech speech act theory speech recognition speech synthesis speech therapy.