You might have heard the terms ‘speech’ and ‘language’ used a lot when talking about communication. But what actually is speech? What is language? Are they different?
…Yes!

Speech
When we talk about speech, we are talking about the actual sounds we make when we talk. We use our ‘articulators’ (mouth, tongue, lips, teeth, jaw etc) to make and shape the sounds necessary for speech.  When someone has difficulties with their speech, they may sound unclear and be hard to understand. They might (for example):

• Have difficulty making certain sounds clearly such as “r” or “s”.
• Use different error patterns in their speech. For example, they might say “tat” instead of “cat”, “bolcano” instead of “volcano”, or they might favour using one sound for lots of other sounds (“I dot to do to deep”).

​(We’ll talk more about the different kinds of speech sound disorders and delays to come in future blogs!)

Language
When we talk about language, we are referring to the words and symbols we use and how we put these together to communicate. Language can be spoken, written, or expressed through signs, gestures or visuals.

• Expressive language: this is our use of language. If someone has difficulty with their expressive language, they may have trouble finding and using the right words, using correct grammar, ordering words into sentences, and telling stories that make sense.
• Receptive language: this is our understanding of language. If someone has difficulties with their receptive language, they may find it hard to understand questions, instructions and stories.
• Pragmatic language: this is our use/understanding of language in social situations. If someone has difficulties with their pragmatic language, they may find it tricky to work out how people are feeling and why, what people are implying, tailoring their message to different people and navigating conflicts in conversation.

Someone can have difficulties with their speech, language or both. And, speech pathologists are here to help with all of the above!
Check out the following links for more information on what to expect in speech and language development at certain ages

• Speech Pathology Australia’s (SPA) Communication Milestones poster https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/Resources_for_the_Public/Children_Communication_Milestones/SPAweb/Resources_for_the_Public/Communication_Milestones/Communication_Milestones.aspx?hkey=fb6753df-a757-4c4a-8100-aaebdd4451fd
• Kid Sense Development https://childdevelopment.com.au/resources/child-development-charts/speech-sounds-developmental-chart/

Written by Samantha Bolton – Speech Pathologist