What’s the difference between Speech and Language?

Welcome to the first edition of Infrequently Asked Questions (IAQs)!

We created this informational series to dive deeper into what speech language pathologists and occupational therapists do. This series is for parents, medical providers, and anyone who might be interesting in learning more about SLPs and OTs. All are welcome here!

Speech and Language seem very similar, but they are pretty different. Speech refers to the production of sound, and language is how we use words, sounds, and gestures to interact, share ideas, and understand what others are saying.

Speech, or how we say sounds and words, consists of articulation, voice, and fluency.

Articulation refers to how we use our mouth, lips, and tongue to produce speech sounds. For example, when a child has an articulation error, they may be replacing “w” for “r,” or leaving out a sound entirely. Voice is how we use our vocal folds or voicebox to make sounds, and fluency refers to the rhythm of speech. Fluency errors in speech may include stuttering or cluttering.

Speech language pathologists are frequently referred to for therapeutic services to improve articulation or fluency errors, but speech language pathologists are also trained to treat language disorders. Language disorders are not as easy to spot as speech disorder.

Language includes both spoken, written words, symbols, and/or gestures and how we use them.

Receptive language is understanding what others are saying, either by listening or reading. Expressive language is sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings, through speaking, pictures, gestures or writing.

Social language is what we say and how we say it. This can include sarcasm and humor; understanding nonverbal communication like tone of voice, gestures, and facial expressions; and understanding different language may be used in different situations. Social language is all about understanding the context of the social situation that you are in and how to respond to your conversation partners.

If you have any follow up questions about speech and language, please comment below.

Stay tuned for our next IAQ! New posts will be announced through our Instagram page, which you can find here.