Language is imperative to living, learning and working. It can be expressed in speech, sign language or writing, or using computerised communication devices.
Language or speech disorders can be treated by speech-language pathologists, informally known as speech therapists.
Speech-language pathology and audiology are among the hottest professions in the United States, according to employment growth projections set out by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition.
The bureau said the number of positions for speech pathologists in the US was expected to climb 45 per cent between 2000 and 2010, and the number of posts for audiologists by 39 per cent.
A similar situation exists in Hong Kong, where the profession has been growing since it was introduced about 20 years ago. Speech therapists in Hong Kong trained overseas until 1988, when the University of Hong Kong introduced a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing sciences.
'At that time, we were the only academic institution in Asia to provide such a course,' says Lorinda Kwan-Chen Li-ying, clinical instructor in the university's division of speech and hearing sciences.