How do we talk or speak? What is the science behind speech? If you google this, you will find many similar answers. Here is a sample found online:
Speech starts in the stomach with the diaphragm. This is a large muscle that helps push air from the lungs into the voice box. The voice box or larynx has vocal cords that vibrate to produce your voice. Then, the lips, tongue, and teeth form the sounds to make speech.

The process mentioned above seems like the end process of actual speech. It looks incomplete. Science is leaving out many unanswered questions. It is leaving out the beginning part of the speech process.

1. When we were born, none of us knew any words or any language. Slowly but surely, we picked up our native and other languages. The question is how we learned these languages. What is the power which allowed us to learn these words and languages?

2. To talk or speak there must be words. Without words there can be no talk. So, words are an integral and important component of any speech. The question is where and how these words are stored. We can speak only the words we know and have learned.

3. Okay, we make a database of words within us. The next question is how we choose the words from this database. Who chooses these words? Who decides what we are going to say?

4. Once the decision is made on what to say, the next question is how these words are sent across to the vocal cords in the physical body so that the final speech is made.

Wow! So many interesting and unanswered questions. The process does not seem simple; it looks elaborate and complicated. Unfortunately, scientists have no answers to most of the above questions. So, what is the solution? We must look elsewhere to find the answer. The only right place is the teaching of Vedanta. To unpack these questions, we will divide our discussion into the following topics:

• Understanding the Power of Knowing
• How Do We Learn?
• Role of Mind in Speech
• Interface Between Mind and Vocal Cords
  Understanding the Power of Knowing
  
  We have discussed Power of Knowing in many different essays. It is one of the key powers within Awareness. We have mentioned in these essays that there is a Bulb of Awareness within each living being. It is our innermost core. This Bulb of Awareness radiates Awareness, and it has the following three amazing powers:
  
• Power of Knower (Subject)
• Power of Known (Object)
• Power of Knowing (Knowledge and Intelligence)
  
  This Bulb of Awareness is the source of everything in the universe. It is the substratum of all objects. The power of Knower allows us to be the Observer of the universe. Power of Known allows Awareness to take the shape of all objects in the universe. Power of Knowing is intelligence. Let us discuss this in a little more detail.
  
  Power of Knowing: Awareness is the repository of all possible knowledge and intelligence. It is as if there is a complete digital library within Awareness. No possible knowledge or intelligence is missing. Power of Knowing is the power which allows us to tap into the unlimited knowledge and intelligence which is present within Awareness.
  
  1. If you are aware of 2+2=4, it is because this knowledge is within Awareness. If you know calculus, it is because all the knowledge of calculus is within Awareness. If you know Sanskrit, it is because this knowledge is resident within Awareness. If you know Chinese, it is because that knowledge is within Awareness. If you know music, it is because that knowledge is within Awareness. Think of any possible knowledge, that knowledge is present within Awareness. Nothing is missing.
  
  2. All the intelligence is also present within Awareness. All the logic, making inferences, creative thinking, making cross-connections within different knowledge streams, remembering knowledge—all this and much more is present within Awareness. Also present are all the different powers—the power to understand, power to think, power to learn, power to perceive, power to hear, and so many other powers.
  
  Awareness is the storage of all possible knowledge and also all possible intelligence. All this knowledge and intelligence is present right within us. If you think about it, our knowledge is very limited, a small iota of all possible knowledge. All the remaining knowledge is present within Awareness, but it is covered by our individual ignorance. If the right effort is made, Power of Knowing helps in removing this ignorance and exposes the required knowledge. All the unlimited knowledge is present within Awareness. Breathtaking!
  
  How Do We Learn?
  When a baby is born, it has no knowledge; it is only covered with ignorance. Knowledge-wise, it is a blank slate. So how does it gain knowledge? We have all been through this process. With repeated instructions and practice, the baby recognizes simple objects and words, and gains knowledge. This new knowledge sticks and the Power of Knowing removes ignorance of these topics. The mind therefore gains intelligence and knowledge of these topics. As children grow up and go to school, with repeated learning and practice, more ignorance is removed and more knowledge is gained. It is surprising how rapidly this knowledge grows. It is almost exponential in the early stages. This is because Power of Knowing exposes this knowledge within the mind. For example, suppose you start to learn English and are exposed to the basics of the language. Initially you learn different words and sentences. Thereafter, your mind also self-learns many words and sentences just by picking up from the English spoken around you—listening to TV and movies, people talking around you, and by reading, etc. Very little effort is made to get additional knowledge. It comes almost automatically. This applies to all aspects of our learning. A well-tuned learning mind makes full use of the connections with Power of Knowing. It does seem that the mind is a powerful self-learning tool; it is constantly learning and picking up intelligence with Power of Knowing. That is the strength and beauty of the mind—it is self-learning. The more knowledge you gain, the stronger your mind will become. This also means that the mind has a much bigger database of knowledge.
  
  It is not wrong to say that the mind is the ultimate Artificial Intelligence (AI) device, continuously learning and upgrading itself in the presence of Power of Knowing. In spite of this, a great deal of knowledge remains covered by Ignorance. Only that knowledge which has been revealed is available to the mind; the rest remains hidden. The knowledge of calculus will not reveal itself automatically. It must be learned first; only then will the knowledge of calculus be available. This applies to all knowledge.
  
  Individual Mind Profile: It is a known fact that each person has a different knowledge–ignorance profile. Some people are more intelligent than others. Some people are intelligent in a certain skill set, while others are more talented in other skills. According to Vedanta, the soul is the keeper of this knowledge–ignorance profile—keeping a profile of our intelligence. This knowledge profile is not gained in this life but is a cumulative profile of all previous lives. If you are good at Math, it is because you have this skill set in your soul. This skill set was acquired over all your previous past lives. If you are good at languages, it is because you have the skill for languages from your previous lives.
  
  These skill set within your soul will help you in this lifetime. For example, if you have the skill for languages, you will learn a language much faster than others who do not have the skill for languages. You will have a bigger database of words.
  
  Role of Mind in Speech
  A good comparison is to understand the role played by Siri in iPhones and Alexa on Amazon. These types of AI devices are now quite common, and we use them regularly in our daily lives. Ask a question and these AI assistants will reply and talk back to you. They seem quite intelligent. Many different types of robots also fall into this category. Amazing work is being done in this area. There is a database of information. These devices are programmed to make different connections within the database. When a question is asked, these devices use these connections and respond appropriately. They self-learn and become intelligent. It must be understood that the intelligence of these devices is limited by the size of the database, the quality of the database, and how well they have been programmed.
  
  In that regard, the human mind is just like any AI device. Its behavior is similar. We discussed earlier that the mind is self-learning and continuously updating its knowledge database. One of the functions of the mind database is to support speech and speaking. Depending on the topic, question, or response to a conversation, the mind will investigate the database and create appropriate words and sentences. As we mentioned earlier, each living being has their own exclusive mind profile, their own database of words, their own style of talking. All these factors are considered when the mind creates sentences for communication. So, each mind is different and will respond differently.
  
  The important takeaway from this discussion is that the highly intelligent mind is the starting point of any communication. All talking and speech begins with the mind. Formation of words and sentences is all done in the mind. What you are going to say is all decided in the mind. This may sound strange, but yes, the intelligent mind is the source of all communication. We are so used to thinking that the “I” is the source of all the talking, but it is the mind which does all the work.
  
  Mind and Ego: Does that mean we are at the mercy of the mind, that we are captives of the mind? Whatever the mind decides, is it final? That seems quite dangerous. Luckily, this is not the case. We have an ego (the feeling of “I-ness”) which can and should control and manage the mind.
  
  What really happens is that when the mind finalizes the words and sentences for speaking, it presents it to the ego for consideration. The ego will either like (raga) or dislike (dvesha) what is being presented. If the ego likes it, it will allow the speech to move forward. If it dislikes it, it can ask the mind to modify it. I am sure we all experience this. Sometimes we are about to make some stupid statement, but we decide not to move forward with it and we make modifications. This happens when the ego disapproves, and then the mind makes the required changes. From this, it does seem that the ego is the real boss. In fact, the presence of the ego is the main difference between a robot and human beings. Robots have no ego but the human being has an ego.
  
  However, the ego must be vigilant and keep a close watch on the output from the mind. If the ego becomes lazy, the mind can take advantage, and it can create havoc.
  
  Interface Between Mind and Vocal Cords
  We have just seen that the starting point of any speech is the mind. The mind prepares the words and sentences which are finally spoken. No one knows through what format these words are prepared; I guess it is subtle. These words/sentences are residing in the mind, and they must finally reach the vocal cords. So, how do these words reach the vocal cords? This can be broken into two steps:
  
  Step 1—Mind to Brain: We know the brain is the controller and manager of everything which happens in the physical body. Therefore, the mind must send the signal containing the words to the brain.
  
  The brain has different departments. Each department specializes in different activities. Some specialize in vision or sound or coordinating with different organs and parts of the body. So how does the brain receive its instructions from the mind? The connection between the mind and brain is through the billions of neurons available within the brain. These neurons are the information messengers between the mind and brain. When instructions or activity happen in the mind, the neurons pass this information to the relevant parts of the brain. This is how information is shared between the mind and brain—through neurons.
  
  The auditory cortex and the temporal lobe are the parts of the brain that process sound. The speech signal is sent to the auditory cortex by these neurons from the mind. How this really happens, only Nature knows. We have no clue, but it is happening.
  
  Step 2—Brain to Vocal Cords: A different class of neurons then coordinates and organizes the different parts of the brain so that the instructions from the mind can be completed. For implementation, the brain sends signals to the sound-related organs and body parts through the complex nervous system. Based on these instructions, the different sound-related organs are activated to reproduce the required sound. All this is simply amazing. It is like operating a complex machine. We think we are moving our tongue to produce sounds, but we are doing nothing. The instructions from the brain are completing the job. The ego takes the credit, but really it does not contribute much.
  
  What a complex procedure for speech to happen. These steps are repeated again and again whenever we speak. Isn’t this simply amazing? We must bow to our innermost core, which allows this complex process from the mind to the vocal cords to work so seamlessly. We think the ‘I’ within us is doing the talking, but it does not, it only takes the credit. Whenever we speak, we must be grateful to the awesome powers of Awareness. The three powers of Awareness are the ultimate source of everything and anything in this universe. Nothing can happen without these three powers.