A speech error, commonly referred to as a slip of the tongue (Latin: lapsus linguae), is a deviation (conscious or unconscious) from the apparently intended form of an utterance. They can be subdivided into spontaneously and inadvertently produced speech errors and intentionally produced word-plays or puns. Another distinction can be drawn between production and comprehension errors. Errors in speech production and perception are also called performance errors.
Speech errors are common among children, who have yet to refine their speech, and can frequently continue into adulthood. They sometimes lead to embarrassment and betrayal of the speaker's regional or ethnic origins. However, it is also common for them to enter the popular culture as a kind of linguistic "flavoring". Speech errors may be used intentionally for humorous effect, as with Spoonerisms.
Within the field of psycholinguistics, speech errors fall under the category of language production. Types of speech errors include: exchange errors, perseveration, anticipation, shift, substitution, blends, additions, and deletions. The study of speech errors contributes to the establishment/refinement of models of speech production.
Read more about Speech Error: Psycholinguistic Explanations, Psycholinguistic Classification, Scientific Relevance, Information Obtained From Performance Additions, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words speech and/or error:
“Good speech need not be behind other’s backs; speech behind other’s backs is not good.”
—Chinese proverb.
“The broadest and most prevalent error requires the most disinterested virtue to sustain it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)