Speech Disorders

noun a congenital split in the roof of the mouth that can extend into the nasal cavity

• A cleft palate is a congenital condition where the roof of the mouth has a split or opening.
• My cousin was born with a cleft palate, but he had surgery to correct it when he was a baby.
• Having a cleft palate can make it hard to eat or speak properly.
• The divide between the two groups was like a cleft palate, impossible to bridge.

noun speech or writing that is meaningless or unintelligible

• The document was filled with gibberish, making it difficult to decipher.
• I couldn't understand a word he was saying, it was all gibberish to me.
• Stop talking gibberish, just tell me what you mean!
• Her mind was a jumble of gibberish after a long day of work.

noun a congenital cleft in the upper lip that often extends into the nostril

• The surgeon performed a successful repair surgery on the baby born with a harelip.
• I heard that Sarah's cousin was born with a harelip, but she's getting surgery to fix it.
• Some people used to call him 'harelip' in school, but he never let it bother him.
• The divide between the two political parties was like a harelip, seemingly impossible to bridge.

noun a speech defect in which sibilants are imperfectly pronounced

verb to speak with a lisp

• The speech therapist helped the child overcome his lisp through regular therapy sessions.
• I used to have a slight lisp when I was younger, but it's not as noticeable now.
• Some people think having a lisp is cute, but I find it annoying when I can't pronounce certain words properly.
• Her writing had a lisp of its own, with a unique style that set it apart from others.

noun a low, indistinct, or inarticulate sound

verb to speak in a low, indistinct manner, often with the mouth partly closed

• The speaker began to mumble as he struggled to remember his speech.
• I couldn't hear what she was saying because she was mumbling.
• Stop mumbling and speak clearly so I can understand you.
• The wind mumbled through the trees, creating a soothing sound.

noun a low or indistinct sound

verb speaking in a low or indistinct manner

adjective characterized by speaking in a low or indistinct manner

adverb in a low or indistinct manner

• The professor was mumbling throughout the entire lecture, making it difficult for the students to understand.
• I could hear my dad mumbling to himself while he was fixing the car in the garage.
• Stop mumbling and speak up, I can't hear what you're saying!
• The sound of the wind was like a gentle murmur, almost like nature was softly mumbling to itself.

noun A person who specializes in the study of phonetics, particularly the sounds of speech

• The phonetician analyzed the speech patterns of the patient to diagnose their speech disorder.
• My friend is studying to become a phonetician and learn all about speech sounds.
• I heard that phoneticians have a cool job figuring out how people talk.
• The phonetician's ears were finely tuned to pick up even the slightest nuances in pronunciation.

noun the study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, and reception

• The study of phonetics is crucial for understanding the sounds of language.
• I find phonetics to be really interesting because it helps me improve my pronunciation.
• I'm struggling with phonetics in my language class, it's so hard to get the sounds right.
• Mastering phonetics is like unlocking the key to perfect pronunciation.

noun a speech disorder characterized by involuntary repetition of sounds, syllables, or words

verb to speak with involuntary pauses or repetitions

• The young boy's stammer made it difficult for him to speak clearly in front of the class.
• Whenever she gets nervous, she tends to stammer a bit while talking.
• Don't stammer, just spit it out!
• His stammer in public speaking symbolized his lack of confidence in himself.

noun a speech disorder characterized by involuntary pauses and repetitions of sounds, syllables, or words

verb present participle form of the verb 'stammer', which means to speak with involuntary pauses or repetitions

• The professor noticed the student stammering during the presentation.
• I could tell he was nervous because he started stammering while talking to the girl he liked.
• Why are you stammering so much? Just spit it out already!
• Her heart was stammering with excitement as she waited for the results.

noun a speech disorder characterized by involuntary repetitions or prolongations of sounds, syllables, or words

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• Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by disruptions in the normal flow of speech.
• I noticed you were stuttering a bit during your presentation.
• Don't worry about stuttering, just take a deep breath and keep going.
• Her thoughts were stuttering like a broken record, unable to form a coherent sentence.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unvoiced' describes something that is not expressed or spoken aloud.

• The unvoiced concerns of the employees were finally addressed during the meeting.
• She kept her unvoiced opinions to herself during the discussion.
• I could tell by his unvoiced reaction that he wasn't happy with the decision.
• The unvoiced emotions between them were palpable, despite their outward calm.

noun a motor speech disorder resulting from neurological injury or disease affecting the muscles used for speech production

• Dysarthria is a speech disorder characterized by slurred or difficult-to-understand speech.
• My uncle has dysarthria, so sometimes it's hard to understand him when he talks.
• I heard that guy at the party has dysarthria, but he's still a great storyteller.
• The politician's speech was filled with dysarthria, as he stumbled over his words and failed to communicate effectively.

noun a speech sound produced by narrowing but not blocking the vocal tract

adjective relating to or denoting a consonant that is produced by narrowing but not blocking the vocal tract

• The phoneme /w/ is an approximant sound produced by rounding the lips.
• In casual conversation, people often pronounce 'approximant' as 'uh-prox-uh-muhnt'.
• I can't believe I nailed that approximant in my speech, it was perfect!
• Her singing voice was like a smooth approximant, gliding effortlessly through the song.

noun a vocal effect produced by a low, creaky sound that typically occurs at the end of a sentence or phrase

• Some researchers suggest that the use of vocal fry in speech may be perceived negatively in professional settings.
• I noticed that a lot of young people tend to use vocal fry when they speak casually.
• Her vocal fry is so annoying, I can't stand listening to her talk.
• The singer's vocal fry added a unique texture to her performance.

noun the study of accents and dialects in different languages

• Accentology is the study of the pronunciation patterns of different languages.
• I find accentology fascinating because it helps me understand why people speak the way they do.
• I never realized how cool accentology could be until I started learning about it in class.
• Exploring accentology is like unlocking the secrets of how language shapes our perceptions.