A few definitions

What’s the difference between “speech” and “language”? Aren’t those just two words that mean the same thing?

When we talk we use both speech and language.

Language refers to the message we send. We can send messages with body language or with verbal language. Some people can talk in a variety of languages (Spanish, French, Vietnamese). A change in language will mean that what someone says comes out clearly, but does not make sense. It would sound like they are talking in a different language or that their English is jumbled (incorrect use or ordering of words). Difficulty comprehending language can also occur after stroke or brain injury. The word for a change in language after a stroke or traumatic brain injury is aphasia (pronounced “ah-fay-shaa”).

Speech refers to how we send the message. It is done using the mouth with help from the lungs and the vocal folds (found in your voicebox, or larynx, in your throat). To speak, a person takes a breath, vibrates their vocal folds, and uses their tongue, teeth and lips to make sounds (to articulate sounds). A change in speech would mean that one part of the speech system has been changed due to weakness or injury. Any damage to the tongue, lips, throat, or lungs can cause a change in speech. This can sound many different ways. It may be slurred or slushy, it may be imprecise, or the wrong sounds may come out, but if the problem is only related to speech, then the language (or message) should be correct. That won’t always mean that you will understand everything, but the difficulty understanding stems from HOW it is said, not WHAT is said. The word for a change in speech (can occur for many reasons) is dysarthria (pronounced “dis-arth-ree-a”). Another word for a certain kind of change in speech after a stroke or traumatic brain injury is apraxia (pronounced “a-prax-ee-a”).

Other definitions:
Voice – The noise that comes from our vocal folds. You can know how your voice sounds by saying “ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Voice is often grouped with speech, but a person could certainly have problems with only the sound of their voice (Rachael Ray). The word for a change in voice is dysphonia (pronounced “dis-fon-ee-aa”).

Swallowing –Swallowing happens in three stages: oral, pharyngeal (throat), and esophageal. Problems with swallowing can happen for many reasons and due to disruptions in one or all stages of the swallow. Weakness or injury to the tongue, lips or palate (roof of mouth) can cause oral stage swallowing problems. Pharyngeal stage swallowing problems can occur with neurological diseases (stroke, Parkinson disease, Multiple Sclerosis), injury, and/or weakness. Gastroenterologists (GI doctors) are the pros for esophageal stage problems and problems in the stomach. The word for difficulty swallowing is dysphagia (pronounced “dis-fay-sha” or “dis-faa-sha”).

Cognition – Cognition encompasses how we think and process information. General cognition (for the purposes of this blog/speech therapy) includes problem solving, memory, attention, reasoning and a variety of other areas of brain use.

That covers the basics of terms you may hear on this blog or in regards to medical speech-language pathology. There are many more words related to speech-language pathology and audiology, but this should give you a start. I have not cited any sources here as these definitions come from topics that I discuss with patients everyday and come from a variety of sources throughout my training. More information on the diagnoses discussed can be found at www.asha.org.