bjones
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People speak through their mouth for several reasons. However, it is not the only form of communication open to us. Many people, especially the deaf and those with severe speech problems, speak perfectly well through sign language. Most everything that can be communicated with the mouth can be communicated with hand signals and body language. Some of the reasons we speak with our mouths includes the following:
It frees up our hands so we can multitask as we speak.
Speaking allows us to communicate without having to be seen.
Speaking through our mouth allows us to communicate at great distances by yelling.
Speaking through our mouth allows for a greater range of communication than through any other method.
Speaking most languages well requires having a command of 10,000 to 100,000 words. Forming these words requires a complexity of muscle action and physiology that most people dont comprehend. Articulating words involves a coordinated effort between the lungs, larynx, tongue, jaw, lips, and many other parts of the mouth. No other part of the body can create the necessary sounds required for such complex languages that have been developed by speaking through the mouth.
While the intention to form words starts in the brain with a thought, the articulation of those words begins in the diaphragm. The diaphragm relaxes allowing air to be pulled into the lungs. Speaking involves the release of this air through a controlled effort. The power of our speech comes from the air being forced out of our lungs. The only other orifice this air could come out of is our nose. As the air is forced from our lungs it goes through the larynx, or voice box, but the voice box does very little to create an actual word. Specific words are created by manipulating the jaw, tongue, and lips. This cannot be done by the nose alone. In fact, the nose also plays a part in talking through our mouth. Nasal airflow adds another dimension to many words, and is used quite commonly in many languages.
 Posted 4759 day ago
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