speech /ˈspiʧ/
  U言語,說話,說話方式;C演說,講話
  speech /ˈspɪʧ/ 名詞
  言語,語言
  speech
  語音; 話音
  speech
  話音 語音
  Speech n.
  1. The faculty of uttering articulate sounds or words; the faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds; the power of speaking.
     There is none comparable to the variety of instructive expressions by speech, wherewith man alone is endowed for the communication of his thoughts.   --Holder.
  2. he act of speaking; that which is spoken; words, as expressing ideas; language; conversation.
  Note: ☞ Speech is voice modulated by the throat, tongue, lips, etc., the modulation being accomplished by changing the form of the cavity of the mouth and nose through the action of muscles which move their walls.
  O goode God! how gentle and how kind
  Ye seemed by your speech and your visage
  The day that maked was our marriage.   --Chaucer.
  The acts of God . . . to human ears
  Can nort without process of speech be told.   --Milton.
  3. A particular language, as distinct from others; a tongue; a dialect.
     People of a strange speech and of an hard language.   --Ezek. iii. 6.
  4. Talk; mention; common saying.
  The duke . . . did of me demand
  What was the speech among the Londoners
  Concerning the French journey.   --Shak.
  5. formal discourse in public; oration; harangue.
     The constant design of these orators, in all their speeches, was to drive some one particular point.   --Swift.
  6. ny declaration of thoughts.
     I. with leave of speech implored, . . . replied.   --Milton.
  Syn: Harangue; language; address; oration. See Harangue, and Language.
  Speech, v. i. & t. To make a speech; to harangue. [R.]
  ◄ ►
  speech
       n 1: the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an
            audience; "he listened to an address on minor Roman
            poets" [syn: address]
       2: (language) communication by word of mouth; "his speech was
          garbled"; "he uttered harsh language"; "he recorded the
          spoken language of the streets" [syn: speech
          communication, spoken communication, spoken language,
           language, voice communication, oral communication]
       3: something spoken; "he could hear them uttering merry
          speeches"
       4: the exchange of spoken words; "they were perfectly
          comfortable together without speech"
       5: your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself
          orally; "his manner of speaking was quite abrupt"; "her
          speech was barren of southernisms"; "I detected a slight
          accent in his speech" [syn: manner of speaking, delivery]
       6: a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of
          discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" [syn: lecture,
           talking to]
       7: words making up the dialogue of a play; "the actor forgot
          his speech" [syn: actor's line, words]
       8: the mental faculty or power of vocal communication;
          "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"
          [syn: language]