Speech Lost a Letter on Its Way to Us
Speech is spoken language, or a formal address. The Old English word had an r in it, and English quietly dropped it.
Speech is the act of speaking, the ability to speak, or a formal address. The Old English form was *spræc*, with an r that the verb *spreccan* also carried. English lost that r in both words during the Middle English period, leaving *speech* and *speak* looking simpler than they were. German kept it: *sprechen*, *Sprache*.
- The faculty of speaking. *He lost the power of speech.*
- A formal address. *An acceptance speech.*
- A manner of speaking. *Slurred speech.*
- Free speech — the right to express views. *A free speech case.*
- Figure of speech — a non-literal expression. *Just a figure of speech.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | speech | A short speech. |
| Plural | speeches | Two speeches. |
| Verb | speak | Speak slowly. |
| Past | spoke | She spoke first. |
| Adjective | speechless | Speechless with rage. |
- The speech lasted eleven minutes.A formal address.
- Speech therapy helped enormously.The faculty.
- That was just a figure of speech.Fixed phrase.
Direct and reported speech
- Direct — the exact words in quotation marks: *She said, I am leaving.*
- Reported — the sense without the exact words: *She said she was leaving.*
- Tense shifts back in reported speech, usually one step
- Free indirect — a blend used in fiction, without a reporting verb
- Parts of speech — an unrelated sense: the grammatical categories of words
Old English *spræc*, from the verb *sprecan*, to speak. Both lost their r by around 1200, an unusual change that left English out of step with its Germanic relatives.
Why does German have sprechen but English has speak?
Both descend from the same Germanic verb. English dropped the r around 1200; German kept it.
What are the parts of speech?
The grammatical classes of words: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction and interjection.