Speech And Language Terminology

noun the rise and fall of the voice in speaking

adjective related to the manner in which intonation is used in speech

• His intonation during the presentation was clear and authoritative.
• I could tell by her intonation that she was not happy with the situation.
• The way he changed his intonation made it seem like he was being sarcastic.
• The intonation of the music rose and fell like waves crashing on the shore.

noun A person's lips or the opening of a container that can be used for drinking or pouring

verb The action of forming words with the lips without making any sound

• The teacher noticed the student mouthing the words as she read the passage aloud.
• I caught my little brother mouthing along to his favorite song in his room.
• Stop mouthing off and just do your homework already!
• She was mouthing empty promises, but I knew not to trust her words.

verb to produce speech sounds by vibration of the vocal cords

• In order to improve speech clarity, the therapist encouraged the patient to phonate each syllable clearly.
• When you're singing, make sure to phonate each note properly to hit the right pitch.
• I can't believe she can't phonate properly, it's like she's mumbling all the time.
• The wind seemed to phonate through the trees, creating a haunting melody in the forest.

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

• The professor's spoken words were eloquent and persuasive.
• She's never spoken about her past like that before.
• I can't believe he spoke to her like that!
• His spoken promises turned out to be empty lies.

noun a small bird with a distinctive forked tail

verb to cause or allow something to pass down the throat

• The bird used its beak to swallow the fish whole.
• I can't believe you swallowed that whole sandwich in one bite!
• She was so nervous that she couldn't even swallow her words.
• He had to swallow his pride and apologize for his mistake.

noun a thin membrane or partition, especially in the body

adjective relating to the velum or soft palate

• The velum is a thin membrane that separates the nasal and oral cavities.
• I can feel something tickling my velum when I eat spicy food.
• I hate it when my velum gets itchy after eating too much junk food.
• The velum of the sky was painted with hues of pink and orange as the sun set.