Speech production is a process running through a set of levels which are very different in nature as it starts from an idea and ends with a sound wave.
| level | operations/processes | example |
| Pragmatics | a cognitive and communicative idea is formed | includes a tiger |
| Conceptualization | the idea is analyzed in terms of constitutive notions | notion of ‘tiger’ is activated |
| Lexical selection | notions are mapped onto lexical items | the word tiger is selected |
| Morphological adaptation | the form of the word is adjusted to its function in a sentence | (nothing in this example) |
| Symbolization | the combination of morphs is mapped onto a phonological representation | /tajgər/ |
| Phonetics | the phonological representation is specified in terms of pronounceable syllables | [tʰɑɪ•gɚ] |
| Articulation | the speech apparatus executes motor commands | [Röntgen video here] |
| Acoustics | a sound wave is produced | [sonagram here] |
Focussing on the production of a word, the steps may be schematized as follows.
Standard Model of Word-Form Encoding (Meyer 2000)
The model incorporates self monitoring (Levelt et al. 1999). This implies that the speaker controls the result of each of the steps executed, compares it with his intentions and, if an error is found, may take appropriate measures. The last monitoring step consists in the auditory feedback that the speaker receives of his own utterance.
Levelt, Willem J. M. & Roelofs, Ardi & Meyer, Antje S. 1999, “A theory of lexical access in speech production”. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22: 1–75. (https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_102470/component/file_102471/content)
Meyer, Antje S. 2000, “Form representations in word production”. Wheeldon, Linda R. (ed.), Aspects of language production. East Sussex: Psychology Press; 49-70.
Ramoo, Dinesh 2021, Psychology of language. BCcampus Open Education (https://opentextbc.ca/psyclanguage/)