Sounds of speech

Sounds of speech are the individual units of sound that make up spoken language, known as phonemes. They are produced by moving and positioning our vocal organs—like the tongue, lips, teeth, and vocal cords—to shape airflow into distinct sounds. These sounds serve as the building blocks for words and meaning in spoken communication. Understanding speech sounds involves studying how they are formed, how they vary across languages, and how they are perceived by listeners. This knowledge helps in areas like speech therapy, linguistics, and language learning.