speech linguistic meaning

Speech in Linguistics

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In linguistics , speech is a system of  communication  that uses spoken words  (or sound symbols ). 

The study of speech sounds (or spoken language ) is the branch of linguistics known as phonetics . The study of sound changes in a language is phonology . For a discussion of speeches in rhetoric and oratory , see Speech (Rhetoric) .

Etymology:  From the Old English, "to speak"

Studying Language Without Making Judgements

• "Many people believe that written language is more prestigious than spoken language--its form is likely to be closer to Standard English , it dominates education and is used as the language of public administration. In linguistic terms, however, neither speech nor writing can be seen as superior. Linguists are more interested in observing and describing all forms of language in use than in making social and cultural judgements with no linguistic basis." (Sara Thorne, Mastering Advanced English Language , 2nd ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)

Speech Sounds and Duality

• "The very simplest element of speech --and by 'speech' we shall henceforth mean the auditory system of speech symbolism, the flow of spoken words--is the individual sound, though, . . . the sound is not itself a simple structure but the resultant of a series of independent, yet closely correlated, adjustments in the organs of speech." ( Edward Sapir , Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech , 1921)
• "Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously. This property is called duality (or 'double articulation'). In speech production, we have a physical level at which we can produce individual sounds, like n , b and i . As individual sounds, none of these discrete forms has any intrinsic meaning . In a particular combination such as bin , we have another level producing a meaning that is different from the meaning of the combination in nib . So, at one level, we have distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings. This duality of levels is, in fact, one of the most economical features of human language because, with a limited set of discrete sounds, we are capable of producing a very large number of sound combinations (e.g. words) which are distinct in meaning." (George Yule, The Study of Language , 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Approaches to Speech

• "Once we decide to begin an analysis of speech , we can approach it on various levels. At one level, speech is a matter of anatomy and physiology: we can study organs such as tongue and larynx in the production of speech. Taking another perspective, we can focus on the speech sounds produced by these organs--the units that we commonly try to identify by letters , such as a 'b-sound' or an 'm-sound.' But speech is also transmitted as sound waves, which means that we can also investigate the properties of the sound waves themselves. Taking yet another approach, the term 'sounds' is a reminder that speech is intended to be heard or perceived and that it is therefore possible to focus on the way in which a listener analyzes or processes a sound wave." (J. E. Clark and C. Yallop, An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology . Wiley-Blackwell, 1995)

Parallel Transmission

• "Because so much of our lives in a literate society has been spent dealing with speech recorded as letters and text in which spaces do separate letters and words, it can be extremely difficult to understand that spoken language simply does not have this characteristic. . . . [A]lthough we write, perceive, and (to a degree) cognitively process speech linearly--one sound followed by another--the actual sensory signal our ear encounters is not composed of discretely separated bits. This is an amazing aspect of our linguistic abilities, but on further thought one can see that it is a very useful one. The fact that speech can encode and transmit information about multiple linguistic events in parallel means that the speech signal is a very efficient and optimized way of encoding and sending information between individuals. This property of speech has been called parallel transmission ." (Dani Byrd and Toben H. Mintz, Discovering Speech, Words, and Mind . Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)

Oliver Goldsmith on the True Nature of Speech

• "It is usually said by grammarians , that the use of language is to express our wants and desires; but men who know the world hold, and I think with some show of reason, that he who best knows how to keep his necessities private is the most likely person to have them redressed; and that the true use of speech is not so much to express our wants, as to conceal them." (Oliver Goldsmith, "On the Use of Language." The Bee , October 20, 1759)

Pronunciation: SPEECH

• Duality of Patterning in Language
• Phonology: Definition and Observations
• What Is Phonetics?
• Definition and Examples of Productivity in Language
• Spoken English
• Definition of Voice in Phonetics and Phonology
• Phonological Segments
• What Are Utterances in English (Speech)?
• Sound Symbolism in English: Definition and Examples
• Grapheme: Letters, Punctuation, and More
• What Is a Phoneme?
• Phoneme vs. Minimal Pair in English Phonetics
• Connected Speech
• What Is Graphemics? Definition and Examples
• Assimilation in Speech
• 10 Titillating Types of Sound Effects in Language

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Speaking, writing and reading are integral to everyday life, where language is the primary tool for expression and communication. Studying how people use language – what words and phrases they unconsciously choose and combine – can help us better understand ourselves and why we behave the way we do.

Linguistics scholars seek to determine what is unique and universal about the language we use, how it is acquired and the ways it changes over time. They consider language as a cultural, social and psychological phenomenon.

“Understanding why and how languages differ tells about the range of what is human,” said Dan Jurafsky , the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor in Humanities and chair of the Department of Linguistics in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford . “Discovering what’s universal about languages can help us understand the core of our humanity.”

The stories below represent some of the ways linguists have investigated many aspects of language, including its semantics and syntax, phonetics and phonology, and its social, psychological and computational aspects.

Understanding stereotypes

Stanford linguists and psychologists study how language is interpreted by people. Even the slightest differences in language use can correspond with biased beliefs of the speakers, according to research.

One study showed that a relatively harmless sentence, such as “girls are as good as boys at math,” can subtly perpetuate sexist stereotypes. Because of the statement’s grammatical structure, it implies that being good at math is more common or natural for boys than girls, the researchers said.

Language can play a big role in how we and others perceive the world, and linguists work to discover what words and phrases can influence us, unknowingly.

How well-meaning statements can spread stereotypes unintentionally

New Stanford research shows that sentences that frame one gender as the standard for the other can unintentionally perpetuate biases.

Algorithms reveal changes in stereotypes

New Stanford research shows that, over the past century, linguistic changes in gender and ethnic stereotypes correlated with major social movements and demographic changes in the U.S. Census data.

Exploring what an interruption is in conversation

Stanford doctoral candidate Katherine Hilton found that people perceive interruptions in conversation differently, and those perceptions differ depending on the listener’s own conversational style as well as gender.

Cops speak less respectfully to black community members

Professors Jennifer Eberhardt and Dan Jurafsky, along with other Stanford researchers, detected racial disparities in police officers’ speech after analyzing more than 100 hours of body camera footage from Oakland Police.

How other languages inform our own

People speak roughly 7,000 languages worldwide. Although there is a lot in common among languages, each one is unique, both in its structure and in the way it reflects the culture of the people who speak it.

Jurafsky said it’s important to study languages other than our own and how they develop over time because it can help scholars understand what lies at the foundation of humans’ unique way of communicating with one another.

“All this research can help us discover what it means to be human,” Jurafsky said.

Stanford PhD student documents indigenous language of Papua New Guinea

Fifth-year PhD student Kate Lindsey recently returned to the United States after a year of documenting an obscure language indigenous to the South Pacific nation.

Students explore Esperanto across Europe

In a research project spanning eight countries, two Stanford students search for Esperanto, a constructed language, against the backdrop of European populism.

Chris Manning: How computers are learning to understand language​

A computer scientist discusses the evolution of computational linguistics and where it’s headed next.

Stanford research explores novel perspectives on the evolution of Spanish

Using digital tools and literature to explore the evolution of the Spanish language, Stanford researcher Cuauhtémoc García-García reveals a new historical perspective on linguistic changes in Latin America and Spain.

Language as a lens into behavior

Linguists analyze how certain speech patterns correspond to particular behaviors, including how language can impact people’s buying decisions or influence their social media use.

For example, in one research paper, a group of Stanford researchers examined the differences in how Republicans and Democrats express themselves online to better understand how a polarization of beliefs can occur on social media.

“We live in a very polarized time,” Jurafsky said. “Understanding what different groups of people say and why is the first step in determining how we can help bring people together.”

Analyzing the tweets of Republicans and Democrats

New research by Dora Demszky and colleagues examined how Republicans and Democrats express themselves online in an attempt to understand how polarization of beliefs occurs on social media.

Examining bilingual behavior of children at Texas preschool

A Stanford senior studied a group of bilingual children at a Spanish immersion preschool in Texas to understand how they distinguished between their two languages.

Predicting sales of online products from advertising language

Stanford linguist Dan Jurafsky and colleagues have found that products in Japan sell better if their advertising includes polite language and words that invoke cultural traditions or authority.

Language can help the elderly cope with the challenges of aging, says Stanford professor

By examining conversations of elderly Japanese women, linguist Yoshiko Matsumoto uncovers language techniques that help people move past traumatic events and regain a sense of normalcy.

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2.5: Functions of Language and Precision in Speech

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Good Linguistic Habits 17

Sometimes you may find that things are more complex or more elaborate than they appear to be at first. And it is often the job of reason to uncover layers of complexity behind appearances. Still, if you have two or more explanations for something, all of which are about as good as each other, the explanation you should prefer is the simplest one. This principle of simplicity in good reasoning is sometimes called Ockham’s Razor. It was first articulated by a Franciscan monk named Brother William of Ockham, who lived from 1288 to 1348. His actual words were “Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate.” 18 In English, this means ‘No unnecessary repetition of identicals’. This is a fancy way of saying, ‘Well it’s possible that there are twenty-three absolutely identical tables occupying exactly the same position in space and time, but it’s much simpler to believe that there’s just one table here. So let’s go with the simpler explanation.’ Ockham’s original point was theological: he wanted to explain why monotheism is better than polytheism. It’s simpler to assume there’s one infinite God, than it is to assume there are a dozen or more. Ockham’s idea has also been applied to numerous other matters, from devising scientific theories to interpreting poetry, film, and literature. Other ways to express this idea go like this: “All other things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the truth”, and “The best explanation is the one which makes the fewest assumptions.”

There are a lot of words in every language that have more than one meaning. This is a good thing: it allows us more flexibility of expression; it is part of what makes poetry possible; and so on. But for the purpose of reasoning as clearly and as systematically as possible, it is important to use our words very carefully. This usually means avoiding metaphors, symbols, rhetorical questions, weasel words, euphemisms, tangents, equivocations, and ‘double speak’. When building a case for why something is true, or something else is not true, and so on, it is important to say exactly what one means, and to eliminate ambiguities as much as possible. The simplest way to do this is to craft good definitions. A definition can be imprecise in several ways; here are some of them.

• Too broad: it covers more things than it should.

Example of a broad definition: “All dogs are four-legged animals.” (Does that mean that all four-legged animals are dogs?)

• Too narrow: it covers too few things.

Example of a narrow definition: “All tables are furniture pieces placed in the dining rooms of houses and used for serving meals.” (Does that mean that tables in other rooms used for other purposes are not ‘true’ tables?’)

• Circular: the word being defined, or one of its closest synonyms, appears in the definition itself.

Example of a Circular definition: “Beauty is that which a given individual finds beautiful.” (This actually tells us nothing about what beauty is.)

• Too vague: The definition doesn’t really say much at all about what is being defined, even though it looks like it does.

Example of a vague definition: “Yellowism is not art or anti-art. Examples of Yellowism can look like works of art but are not works of art. We believe that the context for works of art is already art.” 19 (And I don’t know what this means at all.)

Good philosophical thinking takes time. Progress in good critical thinking is often very slow. The process of critical thinking can’t be called successful if it efficiently maximizes its inputs and outputs in the shortest measure of time: we do not produce thoughts in the mind like widgets in a factory. The reason for this is because good critical thinking often needs to uncover that which subtle, hard to discern at first, and easy to overlook. I define subtlety as ‘a small difference or a delicate detail which takes on greater importance the more it is contemplated.’ As a demonstration, think of how many ways you can utter the word ‘Yes’, and mean something different every time. This also underlines the importance of precision, as a good thinking habit. As another example: think of how the colour planes in a painting by Piet Mondrian, such as his ‘Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red’ have squares of white framed by black lines, but none of the white squares are exactly the same shade of white. You won’t notice this if you look at the painting for only a few seconds, or if you view a photo of the painting on your computer screen, and your monitor’s resolution isn’t precise enough to render the subtle differences. But it is the job of reason to uncover those subtleties and lay them out to be examined directly. And the search for those subtleties cannot be rushed.

Consistency

When we looked at what a world view is, we defined it as ‘the sum of a set of related answers to the most important questions in life’. It’s important that one’s world view be consistent: that your answers to the big questions generally cohere well together, and do not obviously contradict each other. Inconsistent thinking usually leads to mistakes, and can produce the uncomfortable feeling of cognitive dissonance. And it can be embarrassing, too. If you are more consistent, you might still make mistakes in your thinking. But it will be a lot easier for you to identify those mistakes, and fix them. Consistency also means staying on topic, sticking to the facts, and following an argument to its conclusion. Obviously it can be fun to explore ideas in a random, wandering fashion. But as one’s problems grow more serious, it becomes more important to stay the course. Moreover, digressing too far from the topic can also lead you to commit logical fallacies such as Straw Man (creating an easy-to-defeat argument that no one actually believes) and Red Herring (deliberately diverting people away from the topic at hand).

Imprecision: Vagueness and Ambiguity 20

Vagueness: You know, that one thing that someone did once .

Vincinal the midden, you keck – right? Yeah, of course! You do agree with me, don’t you?

So do you know what that means? If you don’t, but you agreed with me anyway, then fell victim to obfuscation. Obfuscation is intentionally making something confusion, often with the intention of confusing the listener. In that case, I was saying something and trying to pressure you into agreeing with me. Perhaps a doctor uses medical jargon so that she doesn’t have to explain what is actually going – and that you won’t ask. Don’t obfuscate. It violates my primary class rule. By the way, “Vincinal the midden, you keck” means “Near the garbage heap, you vomit.” Yes, it’s English.

Obfuscation is just one example of unclarity. Unclarity is often the sign of unclear thoughts, so we’re going to our best to avoid being unclear for this reason. There are many types of unclarity out there, so we’ll examine them in the hope that you avoid them.

Vague terms are mostly imprecise. Like if I say, “I have a lot of M&Ms”, it doesn’t really tell you how many. Or if I say, “I’ll fix the car next month,” you don’t really have a good idea of

when that will happen. Many vagueness problems can be resolved by simply defining the vague terms more precisely, or avoiding them altogether.

There is an interesting fallacy-related paradox called a “sorites paradox” or “paradox of the heap”. Here is an example of one:

• Someone with 1 finger does not have a lot of fingers.
• If someone with 1 finger does not have a lot of fingers, someone with 2 fingers does not have a lot of fingers.
• Therefore, someone with 2 fingers does not have a lot of fingers.
• If someone with 2 fingers does not have a lot of fingers, then someone with 3 fingers does not have a lot of fingers.
• Therefore, someone with 3 fingers does not have a lot of fingers.

…Therefore someone with 1,000,000,000 fingers does not have a lot of fingers

What are the problems with this line of reasoning? Well, it’s definitely unsound, because someone with 1 billion fingers certainly has a lot of them. It’s a paradox because there’s a clear contradiction in what we believe and no clear way out of it: the logic seems to make sense, but the conclusion is clearly wrong. So how do we resolve this paradox? Probably say that anything more than 11 fingers is a lot and leave it at that. However, what if we did this argument instead?

• 1,000,000 grains of sand is a heap.
• If 1,000,000 grains of sand is a heap, then 999,999 grains of sand is a heap.
• Therefore, 999,999 grains of sand is a heap.

…Therefore 1 grain of sand is a heap.

How do we get out of this one? Maybe say you know a heap when you see it? There is no clear resolution to the difficulties here (but you can read more at Wikipedia if you want: http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorites_paradox ), so you just need to be aware of issues like this. I bring up sorites paradoxes because there is an important set of fallacies related to them. These are known as slippery slopes. Fallacies are when one uses a particular method of reasoning that generally goes wrong. The methods employed by most fallacies are just ways of reasoning or making arguments, and they are not necessarily automatically wrong (well, some formal fallacies can’t be correct) but many informal fallacies use a line of reasoning that might actually be correct. Oftentimes, these lines of reasoning are incorrect when you encounter them. Slippery slopes are a prime example of a fallacy that people use and generally result in faulty conclusions, but may sometimes actually result in a strong argument if it’s done carefully in the right contexts.

Slippery Slopes

The following is an example of a slippery slope:

Because we cannot draw a clear line between when someone is bald and is not bald, we cannot say that anyone is bald.

You can see how this is similar to a sorites paradox and goes a little further by claiming because we can’t distinguish between traits when something changes gradually, we can’t distinguish at all.

All slippery slopes have this general format: A makes sense, but A leads to B , and B is clearly wrong, so we should reject A . In the case of baldness, you are not bald if you have 120,000 hairs and if you are not bald if you have 120,000 hairs, then you are not bald if you have 119,999. Makes sense, right? But if this is true, then (via a sorites) if you have 1 hair, you are not bald. So, we should reject the idea that you are not bald if you have 5,000 hairs – which means if you have a full head of hair, you are bald.

In a slippery slope, you are worried about gradually sliding into a problem. These examples we have seen are examples of conceptual slippery slopes, which have 2 general assumptions :

1) We should not draw a distinction between things that are not significantly different

2) If A is not significantly different than B and B is not significantly different than C, then A is not significantly different than C

The real question to ask is this:

When do small differences make big differences?

Slippery slopes are common in ethics, and depending upon how you view things, they can be either a good argument or a terrible one. One kind can be called a “fairness slippery slopes” and awarding grades gives an excellent example:

If a person with 90% deserves an A, then it’s only fair to give someone with 89% an A since there is no significant difference between their percentage in the class….If a person with 50% deserves an A, then a person with 49% deserves an A…

There are also causal slippery slope arguments, like:

Although assisted suicide (allowing someone, such as a doctor, to help someone else commit suicide) in certain cases is OK, we shouldn’t allow it because it will lead to euthanasia (a person humanely ending the life of another person that is suffering and requests it), and that’s not OK.

This can be a good argument if you think euthanasia really is a problem AND allowing assisted suicide will really lead to it. It is a fallacy if you incorrectly believe, or do not have reasons to support, the idea that assisted suicide WILL lead to euthanasia. There are many other examples of causal slippery slopes in which someone doesn’t want to allow one thing they might like because they’re worried it will lead to something they don’t: gay marriage (the worry that it might lead to polygamy), military involvement (if we get into Syria, we will have to get into Iran), raises (If I give you a raise, I’ll have to give everyone else a raise), etc. They have a specific format:

A is probably acceptable, but A leads to be B and B is not acceptable, so we shouldn’t allow A

The important questions to ask are:

Is the result really bad? Is the result really very likely? Does this bad result outweigh the benefits of the proposal?

College students make tasty snacks! Think about if this is said at a college bake sale or if it is said by a giant in the afternoon after playing a long game of squash the college dorms. The

sentence is ambiguous because you don’t know exactly what I mean since it can be understood in different ways. There are two kinds of ambiguity:

Semantic ambiguity: ambiguous words

“I like football” (which football?)

“Let’s all go to the shower” (the wedding shower, pervert)

Syntactic ambiguity: amphiboly, or vague grammar

“How to get money out of politics” (people don’t spend money on it or how you can get money out of being a politician?)

“The conquest of the Persians” (were they conquesting or being conquested?)

We can clarify an ambiguous statement by giving more information:

Mary had a little lamb…

It followed her to school

And then some broccoli

The primary ways of fixing the problems of ambiguity are:

1) Distinguish ambiguous things

2) Restate things clearly

3) Reevaluate what is being said (in case you are actually wrong)

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Difference between speech, language and communication

• 25 September 2020
• Science outreach

In our day-to-day language, the terms speech, language, and communication are often used interchangeably. However, are these words synonyms? As it turns out, no, they are not! 

Here is how to better distinguish these terms:

Speech refers to the way we produce and perceive the consonants and vowels that form all the languages in the world. It can be considered the perceptual and motor components of oral language. More specifically, it includes the following elements:

• Voice. This refers to the way we use our vocal folds (sometimes called cords), in the larynx, and our respiration (especially the expiration) to produce speech sounds. Our voice varies in intensity and pitch – that is, it can be more or less loud and have a higher or lower pitch. These parameters are determined by the contraction and extension of the vocal folds.
• Articulation. It is the way we use our articulators, including our lips and our tongue, to produce speech sounds. For example, our lips are rounded to produce the vowel /o/, while they are stretched to produce the vowel /i/.
• Resonance. This refers to the modification of the sound generated by the vocal folds as it travels through the cavities formed by the pharynx as well as the inside of our nose and mouth. Resonance influences the quality of speech sounds (a nasal vowel such as “an” vs an oral vowel such as “a”) and depends mostly on our capacity to control the amount of air that is expelled from our nose when we speak. To block air from going through the nose, we lift soft palate (also called velopharynx); to allow air going into the nose, we drop the soft palate (see figure 1). For example, too much airflow through the nose results in a nasal voice (Kummer). It should be noted that damage to resonance or to the respiratory system is likely to make speech less natural and intelligible (ASHA). 
• Fluency. This concerns the rhythm of our speech and is characterized by the number of hesitations and repetitions of sounds when we speak. Non fluent speech is associated with communication disorders such as stuttering.
• Perception. The ability to detect and perceive fine variations in the acoustic signal of speech, including variations in intensity and frequency in a locutor’s voice or variations in their speech rate, are also key elements of speech at the receptive level.

Language refers to the comprehension and production of words and sentences to share ideas or information. Language can be oral, written, or signed (e.g. Quebec Sign Language). Below are the different spheres of language (ASHA; Bishop et al, 2017): 

• Phonology. At the interface between speech and language, phonology refers to the ability to identify and use speech sounds to distinguish the words of a language. For example, in English, it is important to distinguish the sounds associated with the letters “b” and “p” since words such as “bay” and “pay” do not have the same meaning.
• Morphology. This refers to the rules that regulate the use of morphemes, the smallest units of language that carry meaning. For example, in oral and written English, the plural is often indicated by adding the morpheme “-s” to a noun (eg. anemones). Some morphemes can be added at the beginning or at the end of a word to slightly modify the meaning. For example, the morpheme ‘’-est’’ in English is used to express the superlative. For example, when we add “est” to the adjective  tall, we  create the word  tallest , meaning the person who is the most tall.
• Lexicology and semantics. These components refer to vocabulary as well as the knowledge of the word meaning (e.g., knowing the word  anemone  and that it refers not only to a marine animal, but also to a colorful perennial plant).
• Syntax. This refers to the rules to combine words to create sentences in a language. For example, the sentence ‘’I love anemones’’ is composed of a subject (I) and a predicate (formed by the verb  love  and the noun  anemones ); the two obligatory components in an English sentence.
• Pragmatics. This refers to the rules about the use of language in a specific communication context. These rules include the respect of the turn-taking or the adjustment of the language level or content based on the interlocutor. It also includes the ability to detect humour, irony and sarcasm.

Communication

Communication refers to the process of exchanging information, including emotions and thoughts (Bishop and al., 2016), with others using speaking, writing, signs, facial expressions and body language. Communication thus incorporates speech and language, but also prosody (linguistic and emotional). Prosody refers to the ability to vary the intonation, rate and voice intensity to either emphasize certain syllables or words when we speak or to draw the attention of our interlocutor to a particular piece of information (linguistic prosody), or to convey our emotions, voluntarily or not (emotional prosody; Wilson & Wharton, 2005). 

Although the words  speech ,  language  and  communication  are often used interchangeably, these words have distinct meanings when used in scientific or clinical contexts. While  communication  is a broad concept,  speech  and  language  have very specific meaning. This is important because communication difficulties can affect speech and language independently. For example, a person with a speech impairment may have difficulty articulating correctly without having any language difficulty. Likewise, a person with a language disorder may have difficulty understanding the meaning of words, forming grammatically sentences, respecting speaking turns during a conversation, etc., while having no difficulty related to speech (normal voice, normal articulation).

Suggested readings:

• The cocktail party explained
• Comic strip about speech
• Speech perception: a complex ability
• What is the most important element of communication?

Speech analysis

What is prosody.

References:

American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). (2020, September 1 rst ). What Is Speech? What Is Language? https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/speech-and-language/

American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). (2020, September 1 rst ). Language in brief. https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Spoken-Language-Disorders/Language-In–Brief/

American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). (2020, September 23). Dysarthria in Adults. https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589943481&section=Signs_and_Symptoms

Bishop, D.V.M., Snowling, M.J., Thompson, P.A., Greenhalgh, T., & CATALISE consortium. (2016). CATALISE: A Multinational and Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus Study. Identifying Language Impairments in Children. PLOS ONE 11 (12): e0168066.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168066

Kummer, A.W. (2020, September 23). Resonance Disorders and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction.  https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/- /media/cincinnati%20childrens/home/service/s/speech/patients/handouts/resonance-disorders-and-vpd.pdf?la=en

Wilson, D., & Wharton, T. (2006). Relevance and prosody. Journal of Pragmatics 38 , 1559–1579. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2005.04.012

The peripheral auditory system

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Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones

The ability to hear is essential for proper speech and language development. Hearing problems may be suspected in children who are not responding to sounds or who are not developing their language skills appropriately. The following are some age-related guidelines that may help to decide if your child is experiencing hearing problems.

It's important to remember that not every child is the same. Children reach milestones at different ages. Talk your child's healthcare provider if you are suspicious that your child is not developing speech and language skills correctly. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and other experts list the following age-appropriate speech and language milestones for babies and young children.

Milestones related to speech and language

Related links.

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Voice and Swallow Program
• Pediatric Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery (ENT)
• What Is Airway Reconstruction?
• Language Disorders in Children
• The Growing Child: 3-Year-Olds
• The Growing Child: School-Age (6 to 12 Years)

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Age-Appropriate Speech and Hearing Milestones

Hearing Problems and Speech and Language Milestones

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A Comprehensive Guide to Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

Do you love reading, writing, and languages?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

andreswd / E+ / Getty

• Characteristics
• Developing Verbal Linguistic Skills
• Real-World Applications
• Enhancing These Skills in Kids

Verbal-linguistic intelligence involves the capacity to understand and reason with words and language. People with strong verbal-linguistic intelligence are skilled in reading, writing, listening , and communicating. They are adept at getting their messages across in words and often enjoy doing things like reading books, writing stories, or solving word problems.

"Verbal-linguistic intelligence is the ability to understand and effectively explain concepts through language or words," explains Courtney Morgan, LPCC, a licensed therapist and founder of Counseling Unconditionally . "A person with high levels of verbal-linguistic intelligence is able to comprehend and verbally explain things effectively."

This concept is part of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences , which suggests that there are several different forms of intelligence based on specific strengths and abilities. Verbal-linguistic intelligence refers to the capacity to understand the nuances of written and spoken language. People with this capacity are great communicators and often excel in writing, editing, teaching, journalism, or law careers.

At a Glance

If you love reading and writing, are great at word games, and tend to pick up foreign languages easily, then you probably have a high level of verbal linguistic intelligence. People with this type of intelligence tend to do well in school and careers that rely on communication abilities. Keep reading to learn more about the key characteristics of this type of intelligence and how you can strengthen these skills in yourself and in your kids.

Characteristics of Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

Some of the traits and characteristics of people who are high in verbal-linguistic intelligence include the following:

Appreciate the Power of Words

The verbal linguistic type of intelligence is all about having a love for words. People who excel in this area love using, hearing, and expressing themselves through language. They live for their Libby app to download books from their public library, have a stack of journals on their desk, and love to have a good debate over the correct use of a specific word.

When it comes to psychotherapy, people with this type of intelligence may find bibliotherapy particularly helpful. This type of therapy utilizes literature to help people connect what they read in stories with what they are experiencing in their own lives.

Strong Vocabularies

They also have an extensive and diverse lexicon that allows them to effortlessly inject daily conversations with sometimes esoteric terms that might send others running to the nearest dictionary. Their vocabulary is rich and varied, and they are great at picking up the meaning of new terms based on context.

Love for Reading and Writing

People with high verbal linguistic intelligence are skilled at understanding and communicating with the written word. They are often described as bookworms and often prefer to express themselves through writing (which is why you might find them texting rather than returning phone calls).

Strong Memory for Words, Phrases, and Quotes

People with this type of intelligence are often good at pulling up a specific word, quote, or phrase. For some, this might mean recalling important details of what someone has said or something they read. In other cases, it might mean being able to recite their favorite Shakespearean soliloquy years after reading it.

Passion for Word Games

Their favorite type of games are often word games, puns, or other linguistic puzzles. Wordle, Scrabble, and Words with Friends are just a few that they probably play on a regular basis.

Strong Powers of Persuasion

Because they are so skilled with words, people with this type of intelligence are also skilled at crafting arguments. They are able to utilize their mastery of the written and spoken word to persuade others to see things from their point of view or even change their own perspective.

Examples of Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

Verbal linguistic intelligence isn't just something that people utilize in academic settings—it's an ability that suffuses every aspect of a person's life. For example:

In relationships...

Someone with this type of intelligence is able to communicate effectively. This helps strengthen their connection with other people by conveying information clearly, avoiding miscommunications, and minimizing conflicts.

In the workplace...

Verbal linguistic intelligence often gets a chance to shine. From writing reports to crafting emails to presenting during meetings, language skills often give these individuals an edge that helps them stand out.

In everyday life...

Strong verbal and linguistic abilities often translate to hobbies and activities that center on the written or spoken word. People with this type of intelligence might spend their leisure time reading the latest bestsellers and sharing their thoughts with BookTok (the TikTok community dedicated to reading), or even writing their own original articles, fiction books, non-fiction works, blog posts, or poetry.

Verbal linguistic skills are also important when it comes to picking up new languages. Having a high level of linguistic intelligence can be helpful when it comes to grasping the rules of grammar, acquiring new vocabulary, and picking up on pronunciation patterns.

Developing Verbal Linguistic Intelligence

According to Gardner, people often naturally have high levels of one or more of the nine types of intelligence he described. However, there are also plenty of things you can do to nurture and strengthen your verbal linguistic abilities.

"People can develop and strengthen verbal-linguistic intelligence by reading, writing, participating in speaking engagements, listening to podcasts, and playing word games," Morgan suggests.

She also recommends a few specific strategies that can help people sharpen their verbal linguistic proficiency.

Some specific examples of strategies to build verbal-linguistic intelligence include writing letters to loved ones, listening to interesting podcasts during your commutes or downtime, reading blogs, books, or magazines, and offering to give a presentation at work.

Set Some Reading Goals

One of the best ways to develop your verbal linguistic intelligence is to go back to the basics–read, read, read. Focus on reading widely and consume a diverse range of materials, whether it's books, online articles, poetry, non-fiction books, and essays.

Widening your horizon and exploring different formats, writing styles, and genres can increase your vocabulary and help you gain a greater appreciation for the written word.

Start Writing More

You don't need to become a novelist to be a great writer! Get more writing practice in each day by taking small steps. Start keeping a daily journal where you write down a few thoughts or respond to specific prompts. Consider starting a blog on a subject you enjoy talking about or are interested in learning more about.

Experiment with different types of writing, including using various perspectives to enhance your ability to communicate in different ways and to different audiences.

Build Your Vocabulary

Work on strengthening your knowledge and use of different words and their meanings. Sign up for a word-of-the-day course that delivers a new term to your inbox daily. You can also try vocabulary apps, flashcards, or desktop calendars that feature a new word each day.

Strike Up Conversations

You can also put your budding verbal-linguistic skills to good use in your daily conversations. Participate in conversations with your friends, family, co-workers, and others. It's a great way to practice putting your thoughts and ideas into words in a way that is clear, coherent, and meaningful.

Discussions also allow you to learn more about diverse perspectives and opinions, which can further broaden your skills and knowledge.

Join a Club, Workshop, or Class

There are various informal and formal opportunities to broaden your verbal and linguistic skills. Some ideas to consider include:

• Book clubs , which encourage both reading and discussions
• Writing workshops , where you can work on specific writing skills and get feedback from your peers
• Language and writing classes , where you can receive formal instruction on aspects of writing and language, including grammar, style, and structure

Using Verbal Linguistic Intelligence in the Real World

Whether you have a natural born inclination toward verbal linguistic intelligence or it’s a skill you’re still working to develop, it’s a talent you’re likely to utilize in many different real-world situations. Some professionals who rely heavily on these abilities include:

• Teachers : In academic settings, educators use verbal linguistic skills to communicate information and help students learn effectively. Teachers use these abilities to convey information and explain concepts to students.
• Journalists : Writers use verbal linguistic intelligence to create material for newspapers, websites, magazines, and other media outlets. These abilities allow them to craft compelling stories, essays, reports, and articles that help inform and entertain their readers.
• Customer service : Those who work in customer service roles rely on their verbal linguistic intelligence to help them listen and interact with customers, communicate the right message, and provide useful assistance.
• Attorneys : Legal professionals rely on their verbal linguistic skills during courtroom proceedings, while creating legal documents, and during client negotiations.
• Advertisers and marketers : Professionals who work in areas like copywriting, digital marketing, and advertising rely on their verbal linguistic abilities to create messaging that grabs consumers' attention and interest.
• Politics : Politicians and public officials need strong verbal linguistic talents to help articulate their stances, craft public policy, and engage in political dialogues.
• Mental health professionals : Verbal linguistic abilities are vital for therapists and counselors as they work with clients during sessions and assist their clients in learning to express their own thoughts and feelings effectively.

Enhancing Verbal Linguistic Intelligence in Children

Parents can also take steps to foster strong verbal linguistic skills in their children. Reading to them is one important way to help build this type of intelligence.

Regularly reading aloud to your kids, and letting them read to you, helps expose them to a diverse vocabulary and learn more about important aspects of language and grammar.

"Parents and teachers can promote verbal-linguistic intelligence in children by reading to them, encouraging them to participate in social clubs and activities, and engaging in conversations with them regularly," Morgan suggests.

Some specific strategies that can help kids strengthen these abilities include:

• Let kids explain how to do things : Morgan suggests asking kids to explain or teach something to you. It’s a great way to practice their verbal skills, express themselves, encourage critical thinking skills, and build effective communication skills .
• Have kids introduce themselves to peers : Morgan recommends encouraging kids to introduce themselves to other children. This is great practice and allows kids to practice skills like taking turns, listening actively , and responding appropriately.
• Writing thank you cards : After a birthday or other event, Morgan suggests helping your child write and send thank you cards. This gives kids a chance to express themselves in a thoughtful way and encourages them to work on things like vocabulary and sentence structure.
• Talk to them : Engage your kids in meaningful conversations. Listen to what they have to say and encourage them to listen to what you have to say.
• Try word games : Games like Scrabble and other word association games are a fun way to encourage your child's budding verbal-linguistic abilities.

It's important to remember that verbal linguistic intelligence is just one type of strength that you might have. If you are high in this ability, you probably excel in tasks that require verbal abilities, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and language. 

Even if this isn't one of your main strengths, there are things you can do to exercise your verbal skills. Remember, however, that everyone has their own talents. There's no single way to be smart, so it's important to recognize your own abilities and strengths. Examples of other types of intelligence you might possess include naturalistic intelligence , intrapersonal intelligence , and visual spatial intelligence .

Shearer B. Multiple intelligences in teaching and education: Lessons learned from neuroscience . J Intell . 2018;6(3):38. doi:10.3390/jintelligence6030038

Al-Qatawneh SS, Alsalhi NR, Eltahir ME, Siddig OA. The representation of multiple intelligences in an intermediate Arabic-language textbook, and teachers' awareness of them in Jordanian schools . Heliyon . 2021;7(5):e07004. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07004

Şener S, Çokçalışkan A. An investigation between multiple intelligences and learning styles . JETS . 2018;6(2):125. doi:10.11114/jets.v6i2.2643

Scholastic. The different ways your child learns .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

15 Fascinating Linguistics Terms You Didn’t Learn in School

By ellen gutoskey | may 10, 2024.

Grade school English teachers do their best to send you off into the world with at least a cursory understanding of how language works. Maybe you can tell your dependent clauses from your independent ones and your transitive verbs from your intransitive ones. Maybe you’re even pretty savvy at distinguishing between basic rhetorical devices —hyperbole versus oxymoron, simile versus metaphor, and that sort of thing.

But unless you majored in linguistics in college or routinely spend your free time reading grammar blogs, there’s a whole world of words to describe language mechanics that you’re probably not aware of. Here are 15 of our favorites, from formal terms like amphiboly to colloquial ones like snowclone .

Back-formation

Cutthroat compound, epenthesis and syncope, kangaroo word, nonce word , ras syndrome, rebracketing.

Amphiboly , or amphibology, occurs when a sentence or phrase’s grammatical structure lends itself to multiple interpretations. There are countless ways this kind of ambiguity can happen. Maybe the placement of a prepositional phrase makes it unclear what that phrase is modifying, as Groucho Marx exploited in this classic joke: “One morning, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I don’t know.”

Or maybe it’s not obvious which part of speech a certain word is functioning as, which happens fairly often (and sometimes to hilarious effect) in headlines. In “Eye Drops Off Shelves,” for example, drops is a noun—but the headline takes on a different meaning if you mistake it for a verb. (Ambiguous headlines are their own subset of amphiboly, colloquially called “ crash blossoms .”)

We usually think of word formation as taking a root word and adding affixes (like prefixes and suffixes) so the resulting word is longer than what you had before. From friend , you can make friendly , friendship , and befriend . But it doesn’t always work that way: Back-formation is the process of creating a new word by removing affixes. 

English is full of surprising back-formations. Burglar , for example, didn’t arise from burgle . Burglar came first, and people then created burgle as a verb to describe what a burglar does. And legislate isn’t the stem for legislation , legislator , or legislative ; all three actually predate it.

Plenty of compound words include the subject (also known as the head) within the compound itself. Watermelons are melons, bluebirds are birds, and bedrooms are rooms. But there are also exocentric compounds, in which the head isn’t part of the actual term. A specific class of these compounds involves an action (verb) being performed on an object (noun). A cutthroat, for example, isn’t an actual cut throat; it’s a person who cuts a throat, literally or figuratively. Scarecrows scare crows, daredevils dare the devil, and so on.

Though they’re formally called “agentive and instrumental exocentric verb-noun (V-N) compounds,” historical linguist Brianne Hughes gave them a much catchier nickname: cutthroat compounds . And while they’re not super common in English, you might start noticing them in unexpected places. Technically, William Shakespeare’s surname counts as a cutthroat compound: “one who shakes a spear.”

You’ve probably heard of euphemisms : expressions that use “agreeable or inoffensive” language in place of terms “that may offend or suggest something unpleasant,” per Merriam-Webster. Pass away is a euphemism for “die,” and do it is a euphemism for “have sex.”

Dysphemisms are the exact opposite of that: expressions that intentionally use harsh language to describe something more or less innocuous. Rug rat is a dysphemism for a “young child who’s still crawling on the carpet,” for example, and ambulance chaser is a dysphemism for “personal injury attorney.”

Eggcorns are misheard expressions that actually make sense—e.g. deep-seeded instead of the technically correct version, deep-seated , and free reign rather than free rein . The term, coined by linguist Geoff Pullum, is a nod to acorn ’s history of being misheard as eggcorn . 

You might find it irksome that so many people pronounce realtor as “REEL-uh-ter” instead of “REEL-ter,” but they’re not disregarding letter order for no reason. It’s not uncommon for us to add an extra sound (often, but not always, a vowel sound) to a word to make it easier to pronounce—a phenomenon known as epenthesis . Athlete is another example: “ATH-uh-leet” rolls off the tongue better than “ATH-leet.” Some linguists even consider the “n” sound in the article an to be epenthetic: It neutralizes the difficulty of uttering two vowel sounds back to back, as we’d otherwise have to when talking about, say, a archer shooting a arrow at a apple.

We drop sounds to make words easier to pronounce, too. This type of contraction within a single word is called a “ syncope ”—you can find examples in vegetable , whose second “e” sound is often omitted, and family , widely pronounced “FAM-lee.” ( Syncope typically refers to dropped vowels, but some linguists do also use it for dropped consonants. The dropped-sound phenomenon overall is known as deletion.)

Recreational linguists have a name for words that contain their own synonyms: kangaroo words (because kangaroos carry their joeys in pouches). Rambunctious harbors raucous , respite has rest , and there’s ruin in destruction . In order to count as a true kangaroo word , the letters of the joey word must be ordered correctly in the parent word—i.e. you can’t do any unscrambling. You do have to remove letters from between the letters of the joey word, though; if there aren’t any, it doesn’t count. (E.g. belated and late and action and act are disqualified.)

A cousin of the eggcorn is the mondegreen , “a word or phrase that results from a mishearing especially of something recited or sung,” per Merriam-Webster . Mondegreen is a mondegreen: Sylvia Wright coined the term in a 1954 Harper’s Magazine article in reference to Lady Mondegreen , a mishearing of “laid him on the green” from the Scottish ballad “The Bonny Earl of Murray.”

One of the most famous modern mondegreens is ’Scuse me while I kiss this guy from Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” (The actual lyric is “’Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”) And Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” gave us All the lonely Starbucks lovers , which is really “Got a long list of ex-lovers.”

A nonce word is a word that was coined for one occasion only. They’re not uncommon in linguistics studies on language acquisition, as researchers need to use words that participants won’t already be familiar with. (Psycholinguist Jean Berko Gleason memorably made up wug , gutch , and many other nonce words for this purpose.) Sometimes, people create nonce words to fill the need for a term that simply doesn’t exist, like puzz to describe the puzzle fuzz you find in the bottom of a puzzle box. But other times, writers are just making up words for fun—looking at you, Lewis Carroll .

Some nonce words do end up filtering into the general lexicon, at which point they lose their nonce-word status. (But it’s hard to identify exactly how common a nonce word needs to become in order for it to stop being a nonce word.) Carroll is an interesting case because some of his nonce words did catch on, like chortle , while others are still nonces (e.g. slithy , a portmanteau of lithe and slimy ).

Since PIN stands for personal identification number , saying “PIN number” is redundant. The same goes for the phrase ATM machine , as ATM stands for automated teller machine . In 2001, New Scientist gave this variety of redundancy its own tongue-in-cheek title: RAS syndrome , for redundant acronym syndrome syndrome . Even DC Comics is an example of RAS syndrome— DC stands for Detective Comics . (Strictly speaking, though, DC and ATM are initialisms, not acronyms. A more apt title would be redundant abbreviation syndrome syndrome .)

Rebracketing occurs when we break up a word into different parts than were used when putting it together, a concept much easier to understand through real-world examples. Take hamburger : The term comprises Hamburg , the city in Germany, and the suffix -er . But as hamburgers gained popularity, people inadvertently rebracketed it as ham and burger —and burger became its own customizable term ( cheeseburger , bacon burger , veggie burger , etc.).

Alcoholic is another excellent example: It’s a fusion of alcohol and -ic , but we rebracketed it as alco- and -holic , appropriating -holic as a suffix to refer to other (mainly unofficial) addictions, e.g. chocoholic and workaholic . Blog is technically the result of rebracketing, too—it began as weblog ( web and log ), but we shifted the b from web onto log in shortening it.

Snowclones, as Geoff Pullum described them in 2004, are “some-assembly-required adaptable cliché frames for lazy journalists.” In other words, they’re clichés that you can customize for whatever you’re writing (or saying) by swapping out a couple operative words—like Hamlet ’s “To be or not to be,” wherein you can fill in be and be with whatever verb you want. X is the new Y and In space, no one can hear you X (from Alien ’s tagline “ In space, no one can hear you scream ”) are a couple other examples. The term snowclone , coined by economics professor Glen Whitman, is a nod to another snowclone: X have [a number of] words for Y , after the complicated but common claim that the Inuit people have 50 words for snow . 

A spoonerism is a phrase in which phonemes of two words have been switched, e.g. half-warmed fish instead of half-formed wish and blushing crow instead of crushing blow . They’re named for British clergyman William Archibald Spooner, who gained a reputation for absent-mindedness and lexical errors while serving as the warden of New College, Oxford, in the early 20th century [ PDF ]. It’s unclear how many spoonerisms Spooner actually uttered , but it’s probably less than what’s been attributed to him.

Tmesis involves shoehorning a whole nother word between two parts of a word or phrase—like abso-freakin’-lutely . Knowing where exactly to insert the word is one of those grammar rules that most native English speakers follow without even realizing it : As James Harbeck explained for The Week in 2015, it goes “right before a stressed syllable, usually the syllable with the strongest stress, and most often the last stressed syllable.”

Learn More About Grammar and Linguistics:

Harris utters a profanity in advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

W ASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.

Harris was participating in a conversation moderated by actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang when he asked her what it means to be the first vice president of Asian descent and how that heritage has informed her views and roles as a leader. Harris' mother was from India and her father was from Jamaica, and she's the first woman elected vice president.

Harris gave a lengthy response in which she told the young people to keep their chins up when they go into spaces where no one else looks like them.

She added: “We have to know that sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes they won’t. And then you need to kick that f——— door down."

The audience clapped and hollered. Laughing herself, Harris said, “Excuse my language.”

Profanity in politics is not altogether unusual. This past weekend, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump led a crowd at a rally chanting “bulls—-" in reference to his criminal trial in New York City. When Joe Biden was vice president, he was overheard telling President Barack Obama that newly passed health care legislation was a “big f——— deal.” Harris generally avoids such language in her public appearances.

The vice president made her comments in a conversation at the annual Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Legislative Leadership Summit . The conversation was live-streamed on the White House website.

Harris spoke later Monday, along with President Biden and actor Lucy Liu, at a White House Rose Garden reception celebrating May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month .

Liu said Harris' election as the first female Black and Asian vice president was a "testament to the limitless possibilities of the American dream.”

Biden said Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders make up the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. He said they represent immigrants, dreamers and a nation of freedom.

The president opened his remarks with: "My name's Joe Biden. I work for Kamala Harris.”

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Opinion | Donald Trump wants Paul Ryan fired. You can probably guess why.

The former republican speaker of the house is on the board of fox corp..

Former President Donald Trump wants Rupert Murdoch to fire Paul Ryan, the former Republican speaker of the House, from the board of Fox Corp. Why? Because Ryan says he won’t vote for Trump in November.

In a post on his Truth Social late last week, Trump wrote, “Rupert Murdoch should fire pathetic RINO Paul Ryan from the Board of Fox. Ryan is a loser, always has been, and always will be. He was the WEAKEST & MOST INCOMPETENT Speaker of the House in its History. Fox will sink to the absolute bottom of the pack if Paul Ryan has anything to do with it!”

Last Tuesday, Ryan was speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference when he said, “Character is too important to me. And it’s a job that requires the kind of character that he just doesn’t have.”

But that does not mean Ryan is endorsing or voting for President Joe Biden.

Ryan said he would write in another candidate instead, although he didn’t say who. He said, “Having said that, I really disagree with (Biden) on policy. I wrote in a Republican the last time, I’m gonna write in a Republican this time.”

Vanity Fair’s Bess Levin wrote , “Note: This is not the way to prevent Trump from becoming president.”

Ryan is just one of many Republicans who say they will not vote for Trump, but also are not voting for Biden, either.

Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, won’t endorse his former boss, but said, “I would never vote for Joe Biden. I’m a Republican.” Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who made an unsuccessful bid to become the Republican nominee, said he won’t vote for Trump, but also won’t vote for Biden.

The Guardian’s David Smith wrote , “While such dissent from Trump and his authoritarian ambitions is welcome, critics say, refusing to support his opponent because of policy differences draws a false equivalence between them. If a significant number of Republican voters do likewise, not voting or writing in a name such as ‘Ronald Reagan,’ it could prove costly to Biden in a close election.”

Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman, told Smith, “I have zero respect for guys like Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Paul Ryan who come out and say. ‘I’m not gonna vote for Trump but I won’t vote for the only guy who can beat the guy who’s unfit.’ To me, that’s cowardly. What they’re doing is staying relevant as Republicans. They want to run again as Republicans.”

Walsh added, “Here’s the deal. If, as a Republican, you say I’m voting for Joe Biden because Trump is unfit, you end your career as a Republican. I did that five years ago. (Former congressman) Adam Kinzinger did that this past year. Then you end your relevance as a Republican. Guys like Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Mike Pence don’t want to give that up. It’s purely a political decision.”

Addressing the future

MSNBC president Rashida Jones gives the commencement address at the University of District of Columbia on Saturday. (Courtesy: Patricia McDougall)

MSNBC President Rashida Jones gave the commencement address at the University of the District of Columbia, an HBCU in the nation’s capital, on Saturday.

Jones told the graduating class, “I know a number of you are first-generation graduates. You are setting the example in your own families and communities. That pressure — the pressure of being a first or only — is a privilege. There is a certain responsibility when you are the first to do something. I have personally seen it and felt it. But that pressure means you are doing something extraordinary.”

Jones also talked about journalism, adding, “Pressure comes in all shapes and sizes in a role like mine. As journalists, we are writing the first draft of history and a lot of responsibility comes with that. I lead an organization that values the First Amendment and the power journalism has in putting a mirror up to the world. It is important for all of us, in each of our ways, to hold the powerful accountable and to leave the world in a better place because of it. That responsibility that pressure empowered journalists like Ida B. Wells and Ethel Payne to lay down a foundation for fundamental change and inspire the modern civil rights movement.”

And another speech …

There was another notable commencement address on Saturday as comedian Jerry Seinfeld spoke at Duke University. That speech did include some boos, as well as students leaving, as part of anti-war protests that took place on college campuses across the country. Most reports said the number of walkouts was in the “dozens.” The Associated Press said the number was about 30 out of 7,000.

NBC News Doha Madani wrote , “It’s unclear whether the booing was intended for Seinfeld or the student protest, or potentially both, but chants of ‘Jerry’ were heard shortly after. Seinfeld was later able to deliver his speech uninterrupted.”

Seinfeld also received an honorary degree from Duke — where his daughter previously graduated and his son currently attends. Madani wrote, “Seinfeld, who is Jewish, has been vocally supportive of Israel and visited the country following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.”

In recent interviews promoting his new Netflix movie, “Unfrosted,” Seinfeld stirred up some controversy. In an interview with The New Yorker , Seinfeld claimed “the extreme left and P.C. crap” killed comedy on television.

The Daily Beast’s Corbin Bolies wrote , “Seinfeld’s speech largely steered clear of his recent public scuffles, focusing instead on jokes surrounding the students, AI, and his honorary degree. In a riff on the idea of privilege, though, he made specific mention of his heritage to loud cheers.”

That mention from Seinfeld: “I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian.”

Shooting for ratings

The Caitlin Clark Show returns this week. The college basketball sensation who set scoring records on the court and helped boost TV ratings will return to the court and television screens. She will make her WNBA debut Tuesday night in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

And even though there’s plenty going on in the sports world, including the NBA and NHL playoffs, the WNBA is hopeful Clark can catapult TV ratings to new heights.

The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Bachman has a good breakdown of the so-called Clark effect in “Caitlin Clark Is Already the GOAT of TV Ratings.” Bachman’s reporting shows that Clark’s impact on TV ratings provides a bigger boost than even many of the great transformative athletes such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods.

Bachman writes, “But Clark didn’t just push up the audience of her own games. She also elevated the expectations for her sport as a televised product. Even viewership of non-Iowa games in the tournament jumped 76% year-over-year.”

Bachman rightly notes that trying to compare viewership numbers across history and sports is very much an inexact science, but there’s no question that Clark has had a profound impact on women’s college basketball. In addition, this could be the most pivotal moment in WNBA history.

Zahra Skaik, a Palestinian woman featured on Monday’s “Face the Nation” on CBS. (Courtesy: CBS News)

If you get a chance, make sure to check out this special feature that CBS’s “Face the Nation” did for Mother’s Day. Moderator Margaret Brennan talked with Zahra Skaik, a 44-year-old Palestinian woman who was living in Gaza City and managed to escape the war thanks to her sons, one of whom is an infantryman in the United States Army.

Skaik described how she left Gaza with nothing but a small backpack and the same clothes she had been wearing since the war began.

Remembering a legend

Roger Corman, a cult and B-film producer and director, died over the weekend. He was 98. NPR had a perfect description of Corman: a B-movie legend who launched A-list careers.

Corman produced more than 300 films and directed 50 or so, including low-budget horror films, such as “A Bucket of Blood,” “The Masque of the Red Death” and the original “The Little Shop of Horrors.”

However, The New York Times’ Aljean Harmetz notes that Corman went on to produce films for up-and-coming young directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich and Ron Howard. Corman also gave Jack Nicholson his first movie role. Those are just a few of the examples.

Harmetz wrote, “In addition to being remembered for the opportunities he gave young filmmakers, Mr. Corman was renowned for his ability to make movies with almost no money and even less time.”

Corman received an honorary Oscar in 2009.

Media tidbits

• Speaking of Caitlin Clark, Front Office Sports’ Owen Poindexter with “Behind the Scenes of a New Caitlin Clark Docuseries.”
• The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, Jack Nicas and Alex Travelli with “Elon Musk’s Diplomacy: Woo Right-Wing World Leaders. Then Benefit.”
• You need a Los Angeles Times subscription for this one: Meg James with “Shari Redstone was poised to make Paramount a Hollywood comeback story. What happened?”
• In an op-ed for The New York Times, Mark Penn, a pollster and an adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton from 1995 to 2008, and chairman of the Harris Poll, with “Biden Is Doing It All Wrong.”
• Also in The New York Times, Lulu Garcia-Navarro with “Charlamagne Tha God Won’t Take Sides.”
• Robert Costa’s feature on “CBS News Sunday Morning”: “Bill Maher on not pulling punches.”

More resources for journalists

• Delve more deeply into your editing skills with Poynter ACES Intermediate Certificate in Editing .
• Beat Academy offers eight trainings for one low price.
• Work-Life Chemistry six-week newsletter course: Ditch work-life balance for a more sustainable approach.
• Understand U.S. Immigration From the Border to the Heartland — Start any time.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] .

The Poynter Report is our daily media newsletter. To have it delivered to your inbox Monday-Friday, sign up here .

Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa, experts on democracy and AI to lead GlobalFact as keynote speakers

Other speakers at the fact-checking summit include Steve Levitsky, Nikita Roy and Craig Silverman

Opinion | Q&A: Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on the perils of covering war

Yingst, 30, has spent the past several years in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

Opinion | Planning a town hall with candidates? Try a reverse town hall instead.

They spend so much time talking. It’s their turn to listen.

The meaning, history and political rhetoric surrounding the term abortion ‘ban’

Experts say ‘ban’ has emerged as shorthand for nearly all abortion prohibitions. The blunt term often leaves room for political spin.

Study shows lack of trust among Hispanics in local English-language news organizations

The study focused on the Raleigh-Durham community and specifically sought to discover what barriers non-English speakers face in accessing news.

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AI + Machine Learning , Announcements , Azure AI Content Safety , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Partners

Introducing GPT-4o: OpenAI’s new flagship multimodal model now in preview on Azure

By Eric Boyd Corporate Vice President, Azure AI Platform, Microsoft

Posted on May 13, 2024 2 min read

• Tag: Copilot
• Tag: Generative AI

Microsoft is thrilled to announce the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI’s new flagship model on Azure AI. This groundbreaking multimodal model integrates text, vision, and audio capabilities, setting a new standard for generative and conversational AI experiences. GPT-4o is available now in Azure OpenAI Service, to try in preview , with support for text and image.

Azure OpenAI Service

A step forward in generative AI for Azure OpenAI Service

GPT-4o offers a shift in how AI models interact with multimodal inputs. By seamlessly combining text, images, and audio, GPT-4o provides a richer, more engaging user experience.

Launch highlights: Immediate access and what you can expect

Azure OpenAI Service customers can explore GPT-4o’s extensive capabilities through a preview playground in Azure OpenAI Studio starting today in two regions in the US. This initial release focuses on text and vision inputs to provide a glimpse into the model’s potential, paving the way for further capabilities like audio and video.

Efficiency and cost-effectiveness

GPT-4o is engineered for speed and efficiency. Its advanced ability to handle complex queries with minimal resources can translate into cost savings and performance.

Potential use cases to explore with GPT-4o

The introduction of GPT-4o opens numerous possibilities for businesses in various sectors: 

• Enhanced customer service : By integrating diverse data inputs, GPT-4o enables more dynamic and comprehensive customer support interactions.
• Advanced analytics : Leverage GPT-4o’s capability to process and analyze different types of data to enhance decision-making and uncover deeper insights.
• Content innovation : Use GPT-4o’s generative capabilities to create engaging and diverse content formats, catering to a broad range of consumer preferences.

Exciting future developments: GPT-4o at Microsoft Build 2024 

We are eager to share more about GPT-4o and other Azure AI updates at Microsoft Build 2024 , to help developers further unlock the power of generative AI.

Get started with Azure OpenAI Service

Begin your journey with GPT-4o and Azure OpenAI Service by taking the following steps:

• Try out GPT-4o in Azure OpenAI Service Chat Playground (in preview).
• If you are not a current Azure OpenAI Service customer, apply for access by completing this form .
• Learn more about  Azure OpenAI Service  and the  latest enhancements.  
• Understand responsible AI tooling available in Azure with Azure AI Content Safety .
• Review the OpenAI blog on GPT-4o.

Let us know what you think of Azure and what you would like to see in the future.

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