What Happens When We Talk?

Talking is a special ability possessed by humans. It’s a verbal/oral expression of words in a particular language. People usually talk in the language that they understand and are comfortable with. What happens when we talk? We can divide this into 2 parts; the neuronal part and the muscular part. The neuronal part involves the brain. A part of the brain called broca area in the frontal lobe is active during talking. It is well-developed in women; more reason why women are more expressive and eloquent than men. Also the wernicke’s area, called the language comprehension area in the temporal lobe is also implicated in talking because of the need for words in a particular language. Whatever language you’ve learnt is what is present in your wernicke’s area, and that is what you express in words when you speak. Neuronal signals/impulses from those parts of the brain reach the laryngeal and lingual muscles for articulation of the words put together by those areas in the brain. This form the muscular part of the process. The vocal cords in the larynx are important for phonation. The tongue, lips, jaws and dentition are also important for articulation. Happy Weekend!