defect of speech
- noun
- /dɪˈfɛkt əv spiːch/
- Specialized
:
defecto del habla
- After his accident, he developed a defect of speech that made it hard to pronounce certain words.
Examples
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Therapy can help children overcome a defect of speech and communicate more effectively.
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A defect of speech such as stammering often requires professional intervention.
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A defect of speech can affect communication skills.
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Many children overcome their defects of speech with therapy.
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A defect of speech such as stammering often requires professional intervention.
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Therapy can help children overcome a defect of speech and communicate more effectively.
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After his accident, he developed a defect of speech that made it hard to pronounce certain words.
Synonyms
1
4.3
A condition that makes it hard to say sounds correctly or use the voice well
1
4.8
Difficulty speaking clearly that makes others hard to understand
1
9.6
A problem with the voice that makes speaking difficult
1
8.9
A break in speaking or writing, such as a pause and repeated words
Saying speech sounds the wrong way, often in children
Antonyms
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'defect' (a flaw) combined with 'speech' (the act or ability of speaking) yields 'a flaw in speech.' The linking preposition 'of' is a regular possession/partitive marker and this noun-of-noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the phrase's meaning.
Etymology
Defect of speech comes from using defect to mean a 'fault' or problem and speech to mean talking. It shows a fault in how someone talks, so it now means a disorder that makes it hard 'to speak clearly'.