Speaking – this biologically endowed capacity – is the hallmark of human intelligence. Although humans with various impairments can still fare well with soundless communication, thanks to the advent of the human invention of written symbols, text, and sign languages, speaking with sound from the vocal cord undeniably represents a remarkable achievement of human evolution.

Despite this unique human capacity, speaking is far from being a mere biological phenomenon. When looked at from the perspective of brain science, speaking is an outer manifestation of our inner brain connectivity. When looked at from a psychological perspective, speaking is a function of our immense mental world. When looked at from the perspective of a social function, speaking is a human communicative act. When looked at from political, legal, and other systems, speaking is the means to achieve our greater ambitions. As complex and vast as it is, for most people, the sound of speaking is, without exaggeration, the sound of life.