speech sound

A speech sound is a specific noise produced when we speak, formed by the movement and shaping of our mouth, tongue, lips, and vocal cords. These sounds are the building blocks of words and help us communicate. For example, the "b" sound is made by briefly closing and then releasing the lips, while the "s" sound is created by forcing air over the tongue near the teeth. Speech sounds vary across languages and are categorized into vowels and consonants. They are essential for clear communication and are studied in linguistics and speech therapy to understand, teach, or improve speech.