Speech production is the process by which thoughts are translated into speech. This includes the selection of
words, the organization of relevant
grammatical forms, and then the articulation of the resulting sounds by the
motor system using the
vocal apparatus. Speech production can be spontaneous such as when a person creates the words of a
conversation, reactive such as when they name a picture or
read aloud a
written word, or imitative, such as in
speech repetition. Speech production is not the same as language production since
language can also be produced manually by
signs.