Speech Speech Speech is human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of a limited set of perfectly articulated and individualized vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are the same word, e.g., "role" or "hotel"), and using those words in their semantic character as words in the lexicon of a language according to the syntactic constraints that govern lexical words' function in a sentence. In speaking, speakers perform many different intentional speech acts, e.g., informing, declaring, asking, persuading, directing, and
Vocal cord dysfunction Vocal cord dysfunction Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD), also known as Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion (PVFM) or Paradoxical Vocal Cord Movement (PVCM), is a pathology affecting the vocal folds (commonly referred to as the vocal cords). VCD is characterized by full or partial vocal fold closure, causing difficulty and distress during respiration, especially during inhalation. Symptoms of VCD are not always present. Rather, they often occur episodically, often defined as "attacks," where the sufferer will be symptomatic for a short period of time. Due to the similarity in symptoms, VCD attack are often mistaken for asthma attacks or laryngospasms. Although several