speech sound: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical, Academic
Quick answer
What does “speech sound” mean?
A unit of sound in a language that distinguishes words from one another.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A unit of sound in a language that distinguishes words from one another.
The smallest phonetic segment in the stream of speech; a discrete, perceptible unit of the sound system, produced by the vocal organs and analyzed in phonetics and phonology.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. British academic works may favour 'phoneme' for the abstract unit more specifically.
Connotations
Neutral and technical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency and specialized in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “speech sound” in a Sentence
N of N (the speech sound /p/)Adj N (a voiced speech sound)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “speech sound” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The child is learning to speech-sound the phoneme /θ/ correctly.
- The software can speech-sound the input in real time.
American English
- The child is learning to produce the speech sound /θ/ correctly.
- The software can render the speech sound from text in real time.
adverb
British English
- The phoneme was articulated speech-sound perfectly.
- Not typically used.
American English
- The phoneme was produced perfectly as a speech sound.
- Not typically used.
adjective
British English
- The speech-sound analysis revealed a missing fricative.
- They conducted a speech-sound perception test.
American English
- The speech sound analysis revealed a missing fricative.
- They conducted a speech-sound perception test.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used; potentially in presentations on speech technology.
Academic
Core term in linguistics, phonetics, phonology, and language acquisition studies.
Everyday
Virtually never used; replaced by 'sound' or 'letter sound'.
Technical
Standard, precise term in linguistic description and analysis.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “speech sound”
- Using 'speech sound' in casual conversation where 'sound' suffices.
- Confusing 'speech sound' (phonetic) with 'letter' (orthographic).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. 'Speech sound' can refer to the concrete phonetic realization (a 'phone'). A 'phoneme' is an abstract, meaning-distinguishing unit (e.g., /p/ in English) that may be realized as slightly different speech sounds (like the aspirated [pʰ] in 'pin' and the unaspirated [p] in 'spin').
While animals produce communicative sounds, the term 'speech sound' is typically reserved for the sounds used in human language, which have a systematic, combinatorial structure.
The number varies by dialect and analysis, but standard descriptions of English phonemes typically list around 44 distinct units (24 consonants and 20 vowels). The number of actual phonetic speech sounds (allophones) is much larger.
In daily life, we refer to 'sounds' or 'letter sounds.' 'Speech sound' is a precise term used by linguists to distinguish language-specific phonetic elements from general auditory events or from written symbols.
A unit of sound in a language that distinguishes words from one another.
Speech sound is usually technical, academic in register.
Speech sound: in British English it is pronounced /ˈspiːtʃ ˌsaʊnd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈspitʃ ˌsaʊnd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Not applicable for this technical term.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'speech' as talking and 'sound' as what you hear. A speech sound is one individual piece of the talking-sound puzzle.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH SOUNDS ARE BUILDING BLOCKS (of words/language).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary field of study for 'speech sound'?