Researcher Robert M. Krauss at Columbia University says, "Communication occurs when signals carry information-bearing messages between a source (or sender) and a destination (or receiver)." Communicating with another human face-to-face marks the uniqueness of verbal communication. In order to communicate verbally, you have to have sounds, words, speech and language. As humans communicate with each other, meaning becomes attached to words and sounds, ultimately leading to language and speech.
Sound
Vocal cords, according to the University of Louisville's verbal communication factsheets, are present at birth and are used by the body to make sounds. Sounds can come from emotion in the form of crying or laughing, or can be formed into words to create language. Without sound, a communicatory gesture cannot be considered verbal communication.
Words and Speaking
The University of Louisville suggests that words themselves have no meaning without the emotion or intention behind the word. Words are formed by the mouth and vocal cords. Once the person speaking puts meaning into words, speaking occurs. A person speaks words to communicate thoughts, ideas or emotions to another person.
Language
The development of language as a form of verbal communication is particularly complex. The body is equipped with the mental and physical capacity for language, such as vocal cords, gesturing hands, tongue and lips, ears and the brain. The brain is not only able to control the entire body as you attempt to communicate and speak, but it also deciphers information and makes sense of sounds.
Sign Language
The National Science Foundation's report on language says that sign language is incredibly important for understanding verbal communication and how it is formed and understood. While sign language is a non-verbal type of communication that uses gestures, signs, facial expressions, body positions and other types of information coded movements, it can ultimately demonstrate how and why certain languages are formed. Sign language shows linguists that all language formed must have certain signifiers, such as the "ed" on a past tense verb like jumped. It also demonstrates the ability for humans, despite most physical conditions, to communicate. Humans use more than just words and sounds to manipulate information processing and sign language demonstrates that well.
Psychology
Researcher Robert M. Krauss says that perception and reception of language is important in verbal communication. Knowing your listener's perspective can help you communicate. Knowing in which direction a destination will be located from the perspective of the driver is important in communicating directions. Also, Krauss suggests that humans have a unique ability to decipher the meaning of a sentence based on context, rather than on the sentence itself.
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