I have found in my 5 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) that many people understand how an SLP helps with speech production (e.g., articulation), but have less of an understanding of what language is and how language differs from speech.
Speech is how we say sounds and words. For example, an SLP may help your child say the /r/ sound correctly or the /l/ sound correctly.
Language is the comprehension and expression of symbols to form meaning. These symbols can be spoken (e.g., listening and speaking), written (e.g., reading and writing), or another communication system (e.g., sign language). I often describe language as the form and content of communication. There are 5 domains of language, as briefly described below (www.asha.org).
Phonology: The study of the speech sound system of a language. For example, if you substitute /b/ for /c/ in the word “cat,” the word changes meaning (cat —> bat) and if you change the /t/ to a /d/ it changes again (bat —> bad).
Syntax: The rules that pertain to the ways in which words are combined to form sentences in a language. For example, it would be incorrect to say “apple I the want.” The correct syntax would be, “I want the apple.”
Morphology: The rules that govern how morphemes, the meaningful units of language, are used in language. For example, by adding the morpheme /s/ onto the word “apple” (e.g., apples), the meaning changes from one apple to multiple apples.
Semantics: The meaning of words and combination of words in language (e.g., vocabulary). For example, in the sentence “I want the apple” there is a pronoun (I), a verb (want), an article (the), and a noun (apple) each with their own meaning. When these individual words are joined together, a meaningful sentence is generated.
Pragmatics: The rules associated with the use of language in conversation and broader social situations. Pragmatics involves the function of language. For example, the pragmatic function of the sentence, “I want an apple” is to request an apple. The pragmatic function of saying, “No!” is to protest.
Learning language is the foundation to being able to successfully interact socially, academically, and professionally later in life. Learning language takes time. Children learn language by listening and practicing what they hear. Most children learn the different aspects of language around the same age and in the same order. Visit our website for more information on speech and language milestones, or contact us to speak to a licensed SLP.
Stay tuned for Tuesday Tips for easy strategies that can be used at home to promote speech and language development.
Laura Dodd M.A., CCC-SLP
Link Speech Therapy, Inc