speech (spiːtʃ
)
Definitions
noun
- the act or faculty of speaking, esp as possessed by persons ⇒
to have speech with somebody
- ((as modifier) ⇒
speech therapy
- the act or faculty of speaking, esp as possessed by persons ⇒
- that which is spoken; utterance
- a talk or address delivered to an audience
- a person's characteristic manner of speaking
- a national or regional language or dialect
- linguistics another word for parole (sense 5)
Word Origin
Old English spēc; related to specan to speakSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
communication,
talk,
conversation,
articulation,
discussion,
dialogue,
intercourse,
verbal communication verbal expression
=
diction,
pronunciation,
articulation,
delivery,
fluency,
inflection,
intonation,
elocution,
enunciation,
Quotations
"A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep! A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart"
"A speech is like a love-affair. Any fool can start it, but to end it requires considerable skill"
"Speech is the small-change of silence"
"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars"
Translations
- British English:
speech
Speech is the ability to speak or the act of speaking....the development of speech in children.spiːtʃ NOUN ...the development of speech in children.
- Spanish:
habla
nf
- French:
discours
nm
- German:
Sprechen
nnt
- Chinese: 发言 n
- Arabic: خِطَاب n
- Portuguese: discurso nm
- Russian: речь nf
- Croatian: govor nm
- Czech: řeč nf
- Danish: tale nutr
- Dutch: speech nm
- Finnish: puhekyky n
- Greek: ομιλία nf
- Italian: discorso nm
- Japanese: 言葉 n
- Korean: 말 n
- Norwegian: tale nm
- Polish: przemówienie nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: discurso nm
- European Spanish:
habla
nf
- Swedish: tal nnt
- Thai: คำบรรยาย n
- Turkish: konuşma n
- Vietnamese: khả năng nói n
Usage examples
I began to feel funny and light-headed, the way I feel sometimes just before I have to make a speech in public.
, THE EXECUTION (2002)The ancestral humans ' sensitivity approached that of modern humans, suggesting that they too could distinguish the sounds of speech.
New Scientist (2004)Such was the carry-on about his recent speech that I requested clarification.
Irish Times (2002)But the courts recognise that there are real dangers in interfering with freedom of speech.
Glasgow Herald (2001)The Morning Pigeon is calling --- Bird, its voice like the speech of those clans, people who talk like birds.
, ABORIGINE DREAMING: Introduction to the Wisdom and Thought of the Aboriginal Traditions of Australia (2002)