Investigation of Speech Functions. Expressive Speech

Abstract

Expressive (or motor) speech is a complex process incorporating many different components and occurring at different levels. The pronunciation of speech sounds and their combinations, i.e., the articulatory structure of words, takes place on the basis of phonemic hearing; however, the articulation of sounds itself plays an active role in the formation of phonemic hearing. The pronunciation of the sounds of speech calls for precision in motor activity, which is possible only when impulses of considerable mobility are accurately directed to their destinations. The pronunciation of words requires a well-established serial organization of consecutive articulations, with adequate inhibition of previous movements and smooth transition to those following; these processes must be accompanied by adequate plasticity in modifying the articulation of a particular sound to conform to its position in the word. The evolution from pronunciation of a word to pronunciation of a whole phrase, and then of a whole sentence, requires, in addition, retention of the general scheme of the phrase or sentence and integrity of the whole of the complex path from the thought to the serially constructed spoken expression; the importance of such integrity has been recognized by many writers (Jackson, 1884; Pick, 1913, 1931; etc.). We know that internal speech contributes to this process (Vygotskii, 1934, 1956), although the exact nature of its participation has not been adequately studied.