Hello! My name is Ms. Houlihan and I am the speech and language pathologist at Washingtonville Middle and High School.  What exactly is speech and language?  Please allow me to explain....

Speech includes the sounds we produce (articulation), how well we are understood (intelligibility), how fast or slow we speak (rate), how loud or soft we speak (intensity) and our pitch level.

Language is a more abstract concept.  Language can be verbal (e.g. words, phrases, sentences) or nonverbal (e.g. body language, gestures, American Sign Language).  Language includes speaking, listening, reading and writing.  Language is also made up of content (vocabulary/semantics), form (grammar/syntax) and use (pragmatics).